A little over a year ago, Chuck and I made our first trip to Sarasota’s jewel, The Ringling. For those of you who only think of the circus when you hear the name Ringling, this blog post may surprise you.
I’m a bit of a circus junky. As a kid, the ONLY thing I wanted to do was be a clown and attend Ringling Bros Clown College. At one point, I could juggle five pins and ride a unicycle. So, any trip to The Ringling is like a pilgrimage to mecca.
The Ringling Circus Museum & Ca d’ Zan
In the past, we focused on the portions known as the Circus Museum – the Tibbals Learning Center, and the Historic Galleries.
The amount of circus history, memorabilia, and the Howard Bros. Circus Model, with over 44,000 miniature circus pieces, takes up 3,800 square feet of display space and can fill an entire day.
The Historic Galleries have recently been redesigned and air-conditioned, it’s really worth a visit.
We’ve also toured the spectacular Ca d’Zan, the mansion belonging to John and Mabel Ringing. The art, architecture, and furnishings in the house are incredible. The Ringling’s connections and ability to bring people to Sarasota was a large part of why this part of Florida was developed.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
Up to this point in our COVID quarantine, Chuck and I had only gone to local nature preserves in and around St Petersburg. This trip to the Ringling was our first time heading back indoors.
The Ringling required masks of everyone entering the property. While people were able to remove them in the outdoor spaces and gardens, most people kept them on. To maintain physical distancing, they were limiting attendance and not operating the shuttles.
Our focus was the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, a short walk from the main entrance.
The museum, built in 1925, was intended to be a legacy for John and Mable long after their businesses. It brought the art of Europe to the people of Florida.
The museum’s 21 galleries are arranged around a courtyard with incredible reproductions of iconic statues. The galleries themselves were initially designed with elements from the Gilded Age of New York, and the details are AMAZING!
The Ringling Museum Collections
Between 1925 and 1931, the couple collected more than 600 paintings by Old Masters. The collection would eventually include the works of Velazquez, El Greco, Van Dyck, Veronese, Tiepolo, Gainsborough, and Rubens.
Today the galleries have grown to include an extensive collection of Asian and Modern Art.
Not Your Average Garden Gnomes
One of our favorite places to chill out is an adorable gnome garden. The back portion of this lush, well-shaded garden has a few benches and picnic tables.
But, it’s fun to just relax and enjoy the unique gnome statues.
So, when you visit the Sarasota, Tampa Bay area, The Ringling should be added to your list of MUST DO experiences. It’s way more than just a circus museum!
Interesting view of Ringling. I am totally new to this, so was intriguing for me.
Wow! I am a museum buff too and this place seems amazing. Impressive to find a David replica in Interior sculpture gardens. And the Gnome Garden is fascinating as well. Great post!
Wow! I am a museum buff too and this place seems amazing. Impressive to find a David replica in Interior sculpture gardens. And the Gnome Garden is fascinating as well. Great post!
I loved the Ringling Brothers Circus when I was a kit and I would love to visit the museum. It would be so cool. I’m with you though, my favorite spot would be lazing in the Gnome Garden.
The entire property has incredible visuals and places to chill out
I have mixed feeling on the circus but this is a fantastic post! How stunning are the gardens here too!
We struggle with the animal issues of the circus… the history and amazing details of the posters and artwork are awesome.
Garden Gnomes are super weird with all those statues. Not a fan of circus but I like how it looks. Definitely different than what I’m used to see.
We struggle with the circus, Chuck more so, but the history and details of the old circus wagons, costumes, and such are pretty amazing
I can visit museum any time of the year! Simply love the art and displays, knowing the history behind each piece of work!
Saw it’s counterpart…the PT Barnum Museum in Connecticut! Love the gnomes!
The gnomes are creepy and beautiful at the same time. LOL
I haven’t heard of this place before. The Ringling seems so exciting! I would love to visit the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. It is such a fabulous collection of Velazquez, El Greco, Van Dyck, and more! Even gnome gardens are adorable. It must be a beautiful place!
Ooh the collections of art in the museum look lovely. The whole trip looks like loads of fun!
Omg, we went here early this year on a whim (just before the pandemic hit) as a day trip before a cruise! My partner’s aunt suggested it as a day trip for us, because we’ve done all of the tourist stuff a million times. Well, we didn’t get our fill in one day, so we canceled our plans for the next day and went back to the Ringling and Ca D’Zan. I can’t say enough about how gorgeous it is. The art museum blew my mind, especially because it’s a small US museum with an outstanding art collection outside of a major city! But my favorite thing about our visit to the property was experiencing the amazing lakeside patio. I imagined throwing lavish parties in that space, or even just relaxing with a book on a quiet afternoon. Sublime.
We LOVE it there and weddings there are SPECTACULAR! Glad you enjoyed it.