Wine Dine and Play: Jungle Prada Site and Anderson/Narváez Tocobaga Indian mound

Jungle Prada Site - A Hidden St. Petersburg Gem

St Petersburg, Florida, United States

Visited in April 2018

Cost: $

By Sean Overpeck (CFE)

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The Jungle Prada site and Anderson/Narváez mound is a family owned historic site in St. Petersburg, Florida, and is only available to see by guided tour. You can read more on their website Discover Florida Tours. This historical landmark celebrates the heritage of Native Americans with wondrous pieces of archeology from the Tocobaga Indian tribe and village. You will also learn about the stories of the Spanish Conquistadors, enjoy the sights and smells of the botanical garden full of native plants used by the Tocobaga, plus views of the Boca Ciega Bay and its history. There are over 50 peacocks and peahens that reside at the Jungle Prada site and are just as at home as the Anderson family that runs it. These free roaming birds steal the show with their mating calls and normal rituals.

Jungle Prada / https://winedineandplay.blogspot.com/2018/06/jungle-prada-site-and-andersonnarvaez.htm

Jungle Prada / Narváez Historical Marker

The Anderson/Narváez Indian mound is one of the best-preserved Pre-Columbian Native American sites in the entire state. According to the Anderson family, the artifacts found on the mound date primarily from 1300 to 1500 AD. There is three mounds total, with the largest being on the site, while the others are now part of a city park that adjoins the property. The tour guide is David Anderson a fourth-generation St. Petersburg resident, and grandson of the original property owner at the Anderson/Narváez archaeological site. David is a University of Florida alumni who has led thousands of guided tours with themes in history, science, ecology, and horticulture. He is also an FNGLA certified horticulture specialist that explains in detail about the plant life, the Tocobaga Indian diet, then goes into detail about this being the first landing site of the Spanish Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who came with the Narváez expedition in 1528.

Jungle Prada / Anderson Family

Pánfilo de Narváez was looking for an empire in Florida to rival the Aztecs of Mexico and all the gold and riches they had. Like most of the Spanish that presided him in the Caribbean, Central, and South America, he searched for riches in gold, glory from the Pope to convert the natives by force to Christianity, and to use them as slaves to build an expanding empire of their own. What happened next is an amazing, exact opposite, under-appreciated, and rare untold story that is rarely told about the natives of Florida and the first true exploration of North America. Then to finish, David discusses the local history of the beaches, hurricanes in the Tampa Bay, and much more. When you leave you will have gained a greater appreciation of the first true Floridians, long before Snow Birds, vacationers, and ‘dimple chad’ politicians. This is the only tour in Tampa Bay that tells the true story of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and Estebanico, who walked from Florida to the Pacific Ocean from 1528 to 1536. This site is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the mission of Discover Florida, LLC is to provide an educational glimpse into Florida’s native history for people of all ages.

Jungle Prada / Peacocks

My wife discovered this tour and purchased tickets. They do two tours a day from Wednesday through Sunday. David was well informed on many subjects and his storytelling took us back as if we were actually there with the Indian tribes seeing the Spanish land on their shores for the first time, running away, as the Conquistadors ransacked the village, finding a piece of gold. This led his lust to find more, then trying to convert the local tribes to Christianity and punishing them for using their tribal ways would eventually lead to his and the others downfall as the tribes made war with them. As we explored, David’s father joined us to give more perspective and history of the site as well.

Among the highlights standing out from the tour was the burial mound itself which is also the highest part of the property, the ‘night dance’ statue dedicated to the Indians culture, and of course the fifty or more peacocks. As the tour came to a close David escorted us back to the main building which was part of a museum with assorted Indian and Spanish relics, and a large movie screen where he showed us a documentary feature on the travels of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. This was an amazing insight into St. Petersburg history. Many to include myself take the area for granted with all its sunshine, beaches, restaurants, and so forth. When I thought about seeing the ancient history of Florida I would think about a three-hour drive and visit St. Augustine when this site holds the same amount of historical significance as St. Augustine but is only a fifteen-minute drive from home. This and other sites like Fort DeSoto show that there is much more to offer in St. Petersburg or Tampa Bay then you think.

I highly recommend that if you live in the Tampa Bay area or are visiting that you add the Jungle Prada historical site to your list of things to see. It is a small fee, and you will walk away with a greater appreciation of Florida, its native culture, and the early history of America. When finished, my wife and I stopped next door to a restaurant that neighbors the property and the park to eat also named The Jungle Prada Tavern. Next to the restaurant was the terminal for The Hubbard’s Marina Water Taxi, which takes you across the bay to John’s Pass on Treasure Island. I was hoping for the Jungle Prada Tavern to fit the theme of the historical site and offer Native American or true Floribbean cuisine like Ulele does in Tampa, but the menu was casual American fare. It was a nice a place for lunch and gave us time to reflect on what we learned. We will return to the site again in the future.

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The Jungle Prada:

8398 Elbow Ln North

St. Petersburg, Florida

33710

Contact Information:

Jungle Prada Website:	Discover Florida Tours
Phone Contact:	(727) 430-2677
Website contact:	Contact Discover Tours
Hours: Eastern Standard Time (GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)	Tours Wed-Sun 11:30 am and 2:30 pm
Social Media & Accolades for Jungle Prada:	Facebook link
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