Dade Battlefield State Park

Encounter History and Heritage at Dade Battlefield State Park

You know that feeling you get...

When you suddenly realize you're walking on sacred ground?  That sense of heaviness that hangs in the air, in certain spaces, where you can almost feel the weight of the history and the events that took place as if they somehow still linger around you?  Dade Battlefield Historic State Park was one of those places for us.  

This 400 year old Southern Live Oak was already a colossal beauty when the men of Dade's Battle fought and died here on the neighboring battlefield.

We stopped in on the site of the 1835 massacre on our way home from a weekend at Chassahowitzka Campground with friends and were quite captivated with the place and story, especially once we began to learn it's history.  

The battle, which effectively launched the Second Seminole War, took place when a group of 180 Seminoles who were inhabiting the area ambushed Brevet Major Francis Dade, of the US army, and 107 of his soldiers, as they made their way to provide reinforcement to soldiers in present-day Ocala.  

Hard truth: The US army was trying to forcibly remove and relocate the Seminole people living here to reservations out west and, understandably, the Seminoles were not going quietly.  

It was one of the more difficult, sad, and uncomfortable realizations for my 7 (now 8) year old history buff.  Even at his young age, and amidst the beauty of the park today, he felt the sadness of the situation and the weight of the space.  But that is good, right? We're here to guide our children through the history, good and bad, of our great state, moral blunders included, in hopes that they press forward with bigger hearts, minds, and attitudes as they become adults capable of making decisions and influencing others.   These tough, teachable moments are necessary for the cultivation of empathy, for all sides of history's great successes and travesties. 

It helps that this park is absolutely beautiful.  

A lovely place for a stretch break, a picnic lunch, some playground time and a glimpse of the past.  The wide battlefield area is kept mowed, so its a lovely expanse in which to soak in the sunshine.  Surrounding the battlefield are some small trails, including areas intentionally maintained to show the state of the battlefield during the time of Dade's Massacre.  

There are also majestic, ancient oak trees.

Trees that were old even when the battle took place.  They serve to ground the park, firmly standing still in time, connecting the present with the past.  The sheer size of these trees, coupled with knowing that real live human beings felt their cool shade hundreds of years ago, takes your breath away. 

Today, the staff and dedicated volunteers at Dade Battlefield Historic State Park are committed to preserving the memory of the past, and honoring Florida's history, early American culture and folk heritage. There is a running scheduled of events throughout each month, including basket making, bird walks, quilling classes, education programs, and reenactments.  The Dade's Battle Reenactment is held every year in January, and is an incredible way to experience the history of this dramatic event in living color.  

Regardless of when you plan your visit, you are sure to have a memorable experience at Dade Battlefield, but if you can coordinate your visit with an event, it will add so much more to your experience! Check out what's happening over the next couple of months. (We may pop in for Florida Heritage Day this weekend, and will certainly try to catch the reenactment in January! 

November 

Florida Heritage Day - November 12, 2022 (Saturday) -9am -4pm

Bring the whole family for period living-history demonstrations, music, folk crafts, folk crafts, pioneer games for children, hands-on activities for children and adults, food vendor and more will be on-site.

Holiday Craft Class: Natural Ornaments - November 16, 2022 (Wednesday)- 9am-11am

Pine Needle Basket Class - November 19, 2022 (Saturday) -10am-1pm

December 

Christmas on the Florida Frontier - December 3, 2022 (Saturday)  -1pm-6pm

Growing up Wild for Florida Educators - December 8, 2022 (Thursday) - 9am-12pm

Dade Bird Walk - December 9, 2022 (Friday) - 9am-10:30

Pine Needle Basket Class -December 15, 2022 (Thursday) - 10am-1pm

Quilling Craft Class December 18, 2022 (Sunday) -- 2pm-4pm

January

Dade's Battle - January 8,  2023 - 9am-5pm