Wait! Shhhhhh.___ Close your eyes & Imagine____Do you hear it?____________ As you walk through The Ringling Museum & Gardens in Sarasota you can almost hear it echoing off the walls of the Big Top. “Ladies & Gentlemen, Children of All Ages, Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth”.
This was followed by the familiar circus music I remembered as a kid growing up along with the taste of freshly spun cotton candy, the smell of freshly roasted peanuts, the Flying Walendas, and the opening Grand Spectacle of costumed circus performers and animals making their way around the three-ring big top. It was a special day when you got to go to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
You can relive those memories here in Florida, because in 1927 John Ringling, one of the wealthiest men in the world, made Sarasota the winter headquarters for the circus. The Ringling Museum & Gardens is a Venetian-style property that consists of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the Circus Museum, the Ca’ d’ Zan, and the Bayfront Gardens.
The Big Top Circus Museum
The Circus Museum I must say was my favorite stop at The Ringling. The museum has a collection of circus equipment, parade wagons, performing props, wardrobe, and circus posters which you can sit and study.
As we looked at the posters, we talked about what it must have been like back in the time to be listed as an oddity and exhibited in the circus sideshows. There was Koo Koo the Bird Girl who was rescued from an insane asylum, Big Jim Tarver Texas Giant. He stood 8′ 6″ and weighed 460 pounds. He was declared to be the tallest man in the world. There was the bearded lady from Geneva and the Wonderful Albino Family. Many folks frowned on the public display of people with these conditions causing the circus to change to fire breathers and sword swallowers for their sideshows instead.
The museum displays circus costumes, props, posters, and other memorabilia, and features exhibits on the history of the famous Ringling Bros. The human cannonball (picture below) was one of the most popular acts of the circus and often closed the entire show.
The Tibbels Learning Center
In the learning center is a model of the Howard Brothers Circus which shows the operations of a three-ring circus. Howard Tibbals, the model’s designer asked Ringling management if he could use the Ringling name for his circus model when he started building it, but they refused. So he called it The Howard Bros. Circus instead. The enormity of setting up a circus of this size is unimaginable but this display accurately tells the story.
Nothing is missing from this huge model. Everything from the rail station where the cars would be unloaded to the various tents, actors, and animals is laid out in a realistic snapshot of the circus in action as it might have descended upon a town.
Step Right Up to The Circus Museum Big Top
After viewing the circus model you enter the part of the Circus Museum where there are fun interactive exhibits.
Micah tested his skills walking the wire to see how well his balance was on a thin metal rod. If you make it, you hit the button for your circus applause. “Dream” also walked the wire and then balanced on a galloping steed. We are thinking about new careers here.
Once we were done with the circus museum, we made our way to Ca’ d’ Zan. We were able to stop and get a drink along the way at the Wandering Chef Food Truck. There is also a restaurant on site called The Ringling Grillroom which has recently been remodeled.
The Bayfront Gardens
As you walk from the Circus Museum to Ca’ d’ Zan and again to the Art Museum you are walking through the Bayfront Gardens. The beautifully maintained grounds are relaxing to walk around. There are plenty of shaded benches to sit for a spell.
We wandered through Mabel Ringling’s Rose Garden consisting of more than 1,000 bushes, and 400 rose varieties.
The beautiful Bayfront Gardens is broken up into smaller gardens throughout the property. These include the Rose Garden, the Dwarf Garden, the Garden of the Ancient Statues, and the Secret Garden where the Ringlings are buried. The Bolger Reflecting Pool sits in front of the mansion.
Ca’ d’ Zan Mansion
Built-in 1926, this was once the summertime home of John and Mabel Ringling. Ca’ d’ Zan is Venetian for the House of John. The inspiration for this Venetian-style mansion came from their travels in Europe and the great palaces of Venice. The 36,000-square-foot home was completed in 1926 and is an architectural masterpiece in Southern Florida. If you want to take a look inside, you will need to upgrade your ticket to tour the first floor of the mansion.
At the rear of Ca’ d’ Zan facing west, a marble terrace welcomes visitors to Sarasota Bay. Touring historic homes tell stories of past eras, and they shed light on who the owners were and their contribution to society. Florida has other opportunities such as Henry Flagler’s Museum in Palm Beach, and Vizcaya in Miami.
The Ringling Museum of Art
The Art Museum, housed in a stunning pink palace, is the true centerpiece. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the “Official Art Museum of the State of Florida”. This beautiful pink palace and courtyard is a work of art before you even walk through the doors.
The museum focuses on Renaissance and Baroque paintings and showcases Ringling’s extensive art collection. The Museum’s collection includes more than 28,000 works of art including masterpieces from names such as Rubens, Titian, Gainsborough, and Velazquez.
Different galleries offer a variety of paintings, sculptures, photographs, and decorative art from ancient times through contemporary periods around the world. I am no art connoisseur, but I can tell you that there is much to see in these galleries. Pace yourself and take your time to look. You could get lost and spend hours here studying the art.
Could there be a Circus Revival?
Pressured by animal rights activists and changing public opinion, in 2016 the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus retired the last of its performing elephants. One year later, the lights on the circus went dark for good. Or so they thought!
The circus is set to revive in the Fall of 2023 with some big changes in store. Feld Entertainment is re-inventing the entire show. You won’t see elephants and tigers in the new production and the three-ring format and clowns have disappeared. But the magic will still be there with amazing human feats you won’t believe and death-defying acts to thrill new audiences. There will be plenty of jaw-dropping moments. So, if you have always dreamed of joining the circus, you still have a chance. No, Really, I’m Serious. A global search for the best acts in the world to bring the show to life is currently underway. The circus is still creating family memories that will last a lifetime.
The Ringling: Address: 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, Florida
As for me, I remember circus days well, not in the Big Top days but in the arenas. The clowns on stilts walking around the circus rings, the flashing colored lights, the acrobats, the Whirling Wheel of Death, and the Opening Circus Parade with all the elephants, tigers, clowns, and performers. It was the original feast of eye candy. It truly was “The Greatest Show on Earth”.
Have you been to the circus? What was your favorite part? Comment below, and don’t forget to like All Around the Bend’s Facebook page. Be the first to read new posts!
