The Ringling (Sarasota, FL)
He owned multiple businesses, invested heavily in new modes of transportation, was one of the wealthiest people on the planet and surrounded himself with some things that modern society considers problematic. In many regards John Ringling (1866-1936), the fifth of seven brothers that created The Ringling Bros Circus, was the Elon Musk of his day.
His is a fascinating American success story and although it had a tragic ending in which he died in debt there was one final upside: he bequeathed his art collection and estate to the people of Florida. The 20 acres of waterfront property on which he and his wife Mabel once entertained high society now provides an overwhelming abundance of options for lovers of art, architecture, outdoor sculpture gardens, banyan trees, ridiculously over-the-top Venetian style palaces and, of course, all things Circus related.
If you live in or near Sarasota, Florida then this is a venue you’ve probably returned to multiple times. If you’re visiting then we recommend you review all the options carefully because, quite frankly, there’s far too much to do in a day and all of it is worth a visit.
Here’s a quick synopsis, with photos, of the things London Art Roundup liked best!
Ca’ d’Zan (Ringling Residence)
One of the fascinating aspects of early America is how those who achieved extreme wealth would look back to Europe for inspiration on how to spend it. In the case of John Ringling, he and his wife Mabel never had kids, so they built an impressive party home instead. It’s a Venetian palace outside, with exquisitely detailed wood panelling and all the mod-cons of the day inside.
Note: Self guided access grants access to most, but not all, of the ground floor. There’s still plenty of opulence to gawp at but if you want to go upstairs and get full access to every room you’ll need to spring for the guided tour.
Circus Museum
One of the joys of visiting the two Circus Museum buildings is the chance to see all the things that were a normal part of day-to-day circus life. From custom made mouth rings that trapeze artists bit into so they could dangle from a wire, to The Wisconsin, the private customised Pullman railroad car (complete with bathtub, chandeliers and luxury dining room!) that John used to travel around the country, every aspect of circus life is represented. Animal cages, freak show signs, cannons designed to shoot a human, tons of costumes and posters and lots of behind-the-scenes things the public has rarely been able to see… until now!
The Howard Bros. Circus Model
The last Ringling circus performance under a big top tent happened on 16 July 1956. Which means there aren’t many people left alive with first hand experience of the mind-blowing scale of operations that rolled into town on an early morning train, created an entire miniature city in half a day, performed for thousands of people, then dismantled everything and was gone by morning. Yes, really!
That’s why The Howard Bros. Circus Model has proven to be such a fascinating addition to the Ringling estate. Housed inside a specially constructed 10,000 Sq Ft viewing room, the 3/4” to 1’ scale model includes 42,000 pieces that faithfully recreate every single aspect of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus… from the 59 railroad cars and 154 wagons used to bring everything into town, to the 925 animals and over 1,300 circus personnel, including 67 clowns and a 39 member band, that entertained children of all ages in cities across America.
But do you want to know the most amazing thing about this model? It’s not the 144 miniature bottles of Worcestershire sauce in the dining tent, or that there are miniature bundles of cash locked inside a miniature safe, located inside the ticket train, that no one will ever see. It’s the fact that it was all made by one man, Howard C. Tibbals, over the course of 60 years… and counting! Apparently he still visits every so often to update it.
Plan your visit
Tickets from US$30 adult / US$5 children / children under 6 free / discounts available
Visit ringling.org and follow @theringling on Instagram for more info about the venue, including opening days/hours.
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