The number of people visiting the Bay area's only national park is on the rise.
Officials say De Soto National Memorial Park, in Manatee County, is busier than ever.
Established in 1948, the park sits on 28 acres of property in West Bradenton, along the Manatee River.
The scenic national park is meant to commemorate the controversial 1539 landing of Hernando De Soto, his exploration through Florida and his impact on the American Indian tribal societies.
It's been a national park for decades, but only recently has it seen a huge spike in visitors.
"Our visitation numbers jumped to about 100,000 or so, significant numbers," said park Ranger Daniel Stephens, who said the park had more than 342,000 visitors in 2014, thousands more than the year before.
Stephens credited a few things for the increase.
First, he said high gas prices have kept people close to home, attracting locals to the free park and visitors center.
Stephens also said good reviews on websites like TripAdvisor are attracting out-of-towners, and they've recently spruced up the park, thanks to volunteers in the community.
It's a place full of history that includes nature trails, kayak tours, bird watching, picnicking, fishing and more, and a park Colin Mayled and Raymond Wagner said they visit several times a week.
"What we got — I mean, what else would they want? It's gorgeous," said Wagner. "They got everything they need right here. It's like being in a different land."
The amount of daily visitors is tracked by a car-counting device in the parking lot.
De Soto National Memorial Park is not the only area booming with visitors. Manatee County as a whole also saw big tourism numbers recently, up 11.6 percent from the same time last year.