Being a Native Floridian, I pride myself on knowing my state very well so it is always a wonderful surprise when I find a new and fun place to visit. On our way home from a getaway on the southwest coast of Florida, Quin mentioned a place called The Ringling in Sarasota. It was a circus museum for the Ringling Circus & the estate of John & Mable Ringling. Of course I was interested to see the place, who doesn’t love the circus?
We could get in free with our NARM membership & was even offered a discount on the tour of the estate but we were too short on time to take them up on their offer. Instead we opted to take a self guided tour along the grounds. We made our way to the beautiful gardens and then followed the path to one of the prettiest houses I have ever seen in my life. I instantly regretted not having the time for the tour but knew we would have to return to see the inside. If the outside looked as stunning as it did, I could only imagine what the inside was like. There is a very tip top on the back and they actually give special tours to go all the way up. We knew right then our return would need to be planned around that tour.
While we were there we made the most of our time. After what must have been at least an hour, in awe of the exquisite building, we headed to the circus museum. It was fascinating to see so many artifacts of the circus preserved and the different timelines and eras. We finished off admiring the museum of art before heading back to the car for our long journey home.