St. Petersburg Jungle Prada Site History Tour

Overview

The Jungle Prada Tour is a historian-led guided tour of a pre-historic Tocobaga village site, including the best-preserved American Indian mound in Tampa Bay. The Jungle Prada Site Complex is also thought to be the landing place of the 1528 Narváez expedition, the survivors of which walked from Florida all the way to the Pacific Ocean (1528 – 1536)!

We are located on the shores of beautiful Boca Ciega Bay, directly across from John’s Pass and Treasure Island. The privately-owned Anderson Mound has been lovingly preserved by the Anderson family for over 80 years.

You’ll meet peacocks (residents of the Jungle Prada Site since the 1950s), discover native plants used by the Tocobaga people, and explore a side of St. Petersburg, Florida you never knew existed!

City: St Petersburg

Thu 31 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $13.70

Make a reservation

Thu 31 Oct

Starting at $13.70

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Parking available on-site

75-minute Historian led guided tour

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Pets are not allowed on the site
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Guides required to regularly wash hands
The tour takes place entirely outdoors, and is limited to 20 people per tour. Reservations are required.

What To Expect

St. Petersburg

The Jungle Prada Site is the best-preserved American Indian site in Tampa Bay. The highlight of our 75-minute guided Florida history tour is a huge Tocobaga Indian midden mound and adjoining village plaza. Hidden away in the historic neighborhood known as Jungle Prada, the main mound consists of tens of thousands of ancient conch and whelk shells, and is more than 900 feet long! The subtropical jungle landscape here is populated by dozens of beautiful free-roaming peacocks! The tour and the locations are loaded with Florida history that is explained in a vibrant and engaging way. In addition to learning about the lives of the Tocobaga Indians, you'll also encounter the amazing story of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish conquistador who landed at the Jungle Prada with the 1528 Narvaez Expedition, and whose incredible journey of survival took him and three others from Florida all the way to the Pacific Ocean (1528 - 1536). If you are a Florida resident or a visitor interested in history and archaeology, the Jungle Prada Site Tour is a rewarding experience that will engage your mind and challenge your perceptions about the Sunshine State!

Jungle Prada de Navarez Park

Nearby attraction. Free parking attraction on site and close walk to site tour.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (234)

Alan B

Jun 2018

The tour gives you a wonderful view on a culture from another time, into some of the idiosyncrasies that make that make St. Pete a fascinating place. David gives a compelling tour, and is a good storyteller. I particularly loved the story of the overland (mis)adventures of the first conquistador in Florida. Beautiful site, too!

elaine31347

May 2018

I love studying how explorers tried to conquer Florida, it's indigenous peoples and the beautifully rigorous environment- and failed. The Jungle Prada Site tour, which takes place on 3 acres next to the state park, is a trip back into the past. This is the exact site where Panfilo de Narvaez landed to claim Florida for Spain. He never returned and out of the hundreds who went with him only four survived and that, only after 8 years of wandering across the southwest of America to Mexico. Dave is the guide of this tour. He is well read in all the available literature of the conquest of Florida. This site predates Hernando de Soto's landing in Tampa Bay with yet another failed expedition. Walking the incredibly gorgeous grounds- 3 acres of ancient trees, some over 600 years old, with every type of flora native to Florida, you get a sense of the timelessness of this place. You walk the huge shell midden that defines the village that was here when Narvaez landed. You can picture the native Tocobaga people greeting the explorers, telling them that gold was to be found in Apalachee to the north. All these tales Dave knows very well as you walk the property and see the artifacts that have been found on the site. Gorgeous peacocks wander the site and there are benches to sit on and rest and feel enveloped by beauty and history. It is a treasure of a tour and a memorable well spent afternoon.

PeripateticAnthro

Apr 2018

The tour takes place in a little corner of St. Petersburg that creates a compact and manageable space to see the diversity of this area. Water, old growth trees, local plants, wildlife, Native American heritage, and a smart and friendly guide to tell you all about it. I learned a lot, and the stories were fun, too! This gem is also convenient to other places to see in St. Pete, and the guide has deep connections to the area. Definitely worth your time.