Florida’s Amazing Ringling Circus Museum: 3 Reasons Why You Need To Visit!

If you happen to find yourself in southwestern Florida, then you absolutely must visit The Ringling, located just outside of beautiful downtown Sarasota! This marvelous museum is home to some incredibly vibrant history, and it is well worth a day trip! Perhaps the best part of The Ringling (which has gorgeous gardens, an art gallery, and a theatre museum) is the Circus Museum.

The Circus Museum is home to the living memories of one of the longest-running and most popular shows of all time: The Ringling Bros. Circus. To understand just how amazing this show was, it’s important to understand the context of the time that the show began. Imagine for a second the size and grandeur of the Marvel movies (yeah, we’re talking Endgame level!), but there’s a catch: you only get to see them live when they pass through your town. And this is the only form of non-local entertainment you’re able to witness.

That’s what The Ringling Bros. Circus meant to people during its heyday. The excitement that existed around this amazing show was legendary and is now on display for you and your family to enjoy!

If you’ve never visited the Ringling Circus Museum in Sarasota, what are you waiting for?? If you need more convincing, well, here are three reasons why you must visit. Let’s get started!

1. Fascinating History

As you step up to the Ringling Circus Museum, you’ll find that you’re walking on the grounds John Ringling bought back in 1927, which were meant to house the circus during winter. A place for wintering was imperative: like a migrating bird, the circus traveled around the U.S. when the weather was good but rested here in winter because the infrastructure wasn’t able to facilitate year-round travel just yet.

Plus, it was important to Ringling to keep his animals and performers safe and well-rested for the next year of traveling showmanship! 

One might think the sight of a bustling, wintering circus was like local advertisement for the show once it resumed. However, Ringling kept winters pretty lowkey and didn’t snowbird in a showy fashion. During the 1930s, the era of the Great Depression, flaunting one’s wealth was accompanied by a sense of embarrassment.¹

The idea for the museum to show off all of the materials and people that went into making the show spectacular came from “Chick” Austin Jr., the first Ringling Circus director. “Chick” was a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, so he knew a thing or two about how to evoke awe and wonder from the masses!

In 1948, the Ringling Circus Museum was created on the winter headquarters for the Ringling Circus. Since then, the museum has collected clothing, props, as well as primary sources from the days when the circus was traveling all around the country. In fact, you can find newspaper clippings about the circus dating all the way back to 1816!

2. Gorgeous Exhibits

Each exhibit in the ever-expanding Ringling Circus Museum shows off all of the amazing things that went into making the Ringling Circus the greatest show. (Cue The Greatest Showman soundtrack.)

As you make your way onto the campus, you’ll get to see the gardens that have been cultivated outside of the museum. They’re absolutely gorgeous and worth a walk through once you’re all done checking out the inside!

Once you get into the museum, you’ll be able to explore the many rooms with all sorts of colorful and brilliant costumes and relics of the circus. You’ll get to see intricately laid out dioramas of the shows that give you a sense of just how big these performances were.

A stop into the Tibbals Learning Center is also a must when visiting the Circus Museum. Opened in 2006, this awesome addition allows you to get hands-on by viewing a 3,800 square foot model of the combined shows of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey, who traveled around the U.S. from 1919 to 1938.

Oh, and as you make your way through this massive exhibit, be sure to keep an eye out for the clown car and see how many people in your group can fit inside of it!

3. Extra Places to Visit While on the Museum Campus

The fun doesn’t stop when you’re done traveling through the Circus Museum. In fact, there are several more awesome places on the campus to check out before you leave!

The campus itself is one enormous garden, complete with walking trails that allow you to explore the property. Enjoy serene spots where you can sit by a pond and admire the meticulously kept trees and flowers, give your feet a break after all of that walking, and maybe have a bite of something yummy for lunch.

To the south side of the campus, you’ll find the Museum of Art that John Ringling had built in 1927. He built it to create a legacy that he knew would outlast the circus itself. Inside, you’ll be dazzled by pieces from all over the world that John and his wife Mable curated from their travels. 

Once you’re done at the art museum, you absolutely have to take a walk through the Ca’ d’Zan, which was John and Mable Ringling’s home. The house is 36,000 square feet and sits right along the water, giving spectacular views of Sarasota Bay. You’ll get to see all of the furnishings and décor that made this enormous home an icon among the icons of the roaring twenties. 

And if you have kids with you, be sure to stop by the Bolger Playspace to give the little ones a chance to get their wiggles out! There are also plenty of picnic tables around the area, so it’s actually a great place to stop for lunch, too.

Final Thoughts

As the old circus saying goes… “come one, come all” to the Ringling Circus Museum!

You and your group will be more than thrilled with the amazing exhibits here. Get immersed into the history of one of the greatest shows on earth! And once you’re done, come back and let us know how much you liked your trip by dropping a comment below. We can’t wait to hear about it!

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