The mansion itself was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 12, 1970.

The first white child born in the area was Mary Jane, born to Josiah and Mary Gates in 1842. During the following years a number of families settled in the area. Reverend Edmund Lee and his wife Electra, who became the first teacher for the Village of Manatee, were followed by the families of Gamble, Wyatt, Ware, Ledwith, Reed, Craig, Whitaker, Snell, Glazier, Jackson, Turmon, and Braden. Major Robert Gamble came to own the largest and most thoroughly equipped sugar plantation in America. This plantation is now known as the Gamble Mansion, in Ellenton Florida.

The park offers tours and has picnic tables. The picnic tables are open from 12:00 to 5:00 on Mondays through Thursdays, closed on Fridays. The visitor center is open from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Thursday through Monday; it is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

Attractions - The grounds of Gamble Plantation contain the mansion, where tours are given through the house, a visitor center and a picnic area where the visitor can relax and enjoy the beautifully landscaped grounds. This historic site grounds are open from 8 A.M. to sunset. There is no fee to enter the grounds or the visitor center. The mansion is open Thursday through Monday with tours being given at 9:30 and 10:30 A.M., and at 1, 2, 3 & 4 P.M. Tickets for a guided tour of the mansion can be purchased in the visitor center.

An Open House is held each Thanksgiving season and again in March, hosted jointly by the Florida Park Service and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Visitors are treated to entertainment on the grounds, free tours through the mansion and ladies and gentlemen in period costumes. Many crafters display wares reminiscent of the antebellum period.

Location - Gamble Plantation State Historic Site is located in Ellenton on U.S. Highway 301. Take Interstate 75 to exit 43. Then go west on US 301 for 1 mile.

Gamble Mansion
3708 Patten Avenue
Ellenton, Florida
Phone: (941) 723-4536

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