Grand Opening! Weedon Island Canoe Exhibit

For over a thousand years, an ancient dugout canoe lay buried under mangrove peat near a shoreline on Old Tampa Bay at Weedon Island Preserve. Since its discovery in 2001, archaeologists have investigated, excavated, analyzed, and conserved this ancient treasure. Now the 1,100-year-old canoe is on display at the Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center in an exciting new exhibit, "Navigating Tampa Bay's Maritime Past." Come talk to the experts from the Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education (AWIARE) and learn about this amazing discovery and how it expands our knowledge of the prehistory of the Tampa Bay region. The Florida Public Archaeology Network West Central Region will provide additional archaeological activities and fun for the entire family!