The Ringling

What an absolutely fabulous place. Fantastic museum. Great play area for the kids. Beautiful (Mabel“s) Rose Garden. Very nice walking areas. Wonderful location overlooking Sarasota Bay. Easy to get to, plenty of parking. And once on the grounds, there is a small shuttle to get you around if you don’t want to walk.
John Ringling put together one heck of a collection.
Go on Monday and get into the main museum for FREE
Pricing for the Circus Museum, and Ringling house is reasonable.
Not a real fan of the food at the museums, but I really didn’t come to eat here
Great place to visit… plan to stay for several hours or just breeze through. I’ve been several times and am always ready to go back and see something new Displays in some areas change regularly.

Great museum and property. I would highly recommend a tour of the mansion. It is beautiful.

There is nothing like this place !!
Read lots of the reviews to get a good idea of your visit. But don’t miss this place. A must see
Plan on a long day. Lots of walking. A museum to linger and not hurry
I’ve been there 2 times and I want to return because there Is a lot to take in and lots of buildings
Wonderful circus exhibits and memorabilia. The grounds and mansion is well worth the walk
Snacks on site and much of it is air conditioned

Take a half or full day to explore The Ringling. This is a unique museum property that you just can’t experience anywhere else in the world.
You can visit the mansion on your own, which is included in your admission ticket or for additional money you can participate in a private tour including the upstairs of the house. The home is on the waterfront and has plenty of chairs to sit on the marble dock and enjoy a beautiful view of the bay. What can you see while visiting The Ringling? For $ 25 you can visit ALL the sites on property. Plan on spending a good chunk of your day exploring all Ringling has to offer. Or, better yet, make day of it.
Long before the circus elephant controversy was a man that made an impact on the development of Satasota, Florida; the city now denoted by Gallup as the Number 1 Happiest City in the United States.
Yes, John Ringling did build a great circus empire in the late 1880’s and yes, he did contribute to make Sarasota the international cultural city it is today with focus on the arts, food, garden and so much more.
John and Mabel wanted a winter residence, a place to entertain friends and others in high society. They purchased property in Sarasota in 1911 and named it the Ca’ d’Zan, House of John.
The mansion was built between 1924 – 1926 and cost $ 1.65M at the time. This #VenetianGothic style home showcases the love they had for Italy and was a great way for them to show off their riches.
You can visit the mansion on your own, which is included in your admission ticket or for additional money you can participate in a private tour including the upstairs of the house. The home is on the waterfront and has plenty of chairs to sit on the marble dock and enjoy a beautiful view of the
Museum of Art — The museum was built in the late 1920’s to house Ringling’s collection of European art. The grounds surrounding the museum are filled with beautiful landscape and statues.
TIP —
Pack a lunch and blanket and enjoy the serene setting. There are several different exhibits throughout the year and admission fee includes a visit to the museum. Don’t miss the bronze copy of Michelangelo’s David and Joseph’s Coat.
Circus Museum — Stop by Tibbals Learning Center on property to witness The World’s Largest Miniature Circus. Yes, miniatures! Experience the olden days of when the circus would come to town! An exact replica of how the circus might have looked from 1919 – 1938 is made in miniatures ranging in size from ¾ inch to one foot. It shows how things used to be; all miniatures within 3500 square feet. From the circus pulling into town, setting up, the circus life living in the selected city, the show in the Big Top and lastly packing up and leaving town.
This is a MUST SEE. In addition to the Miniature Collection, this museum houses Ringling’s railroad car, The Greatest Show on Earth mural and many other paraphernalia from the old time circus days. Practice your strength on the tightrope or experience what it’s like to attend Clown College. All included in your admission fee.
While on sight, visit the Bayfront Gardens and the Historic Asolo Theater. Stop by Treviso for a glass of wine for lunch or dinner and stop by the Museum Store for great books, gifts, art and more. For more information, visit
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June through September is the best time to visit to miss the crowds, traffic and get some great hotel deals.
From October to about May the weather is approximately 72 degrees at all times. It’s the most beautiful time of year but that is also the time of year everyone vacations here so be warned traffic and restaurants can be quite busy.
Don’t miss the Secret Garden — John and Mable’s bodies were placed in a receiving vault above ground in Hackensack, New Jersey. Four years later, the bodies were moved to Brookside Cemetery where they stayed for 25 years. There were vaults built and set aside for John and Mable at the Mansion but no one knows why they were never used. Then years later, in 1991, the bodies of John, Mable and his only sister Ida were moved and buried near the Ca’ D’Zan on the property in Sarasota. John was buried between the two ladies. Each year on John’s birthday, May 31^st, some people are known to place a cigar on his grave.

I enjoy the Ringling; the view is spectacular and the temporary exhibitions keep me coming back. The Ringling has sponsors that provide bus for school buses so students can visit the museum; this is a wonderful program.
The circus museums and the playground are great for kids; the museum of art better for older children in their teens.

The Ringling is more than a museum of an old circus. It’s more like a big area which shows a part of the life of the family. You can visit the gallery of arts, the building which represents the old circus and the house of the Ringlings in florida where they lived in the winter times (till 5 pm). The old trees, the big area and the view at the sea create a wonderful atmosphere. If you have the time and opportunity going there, you definitily should.

Das Ringling Museum in Sarasota ist in jedem Fall einen Besuch wert. Die Zirkusauzsstellung ist sehr interessant. Man bekommt einender guten Eindruck davon, wie die Zirkusdynastie Ringling gearbeitet hat und was Zirkus um die Jahrhundertwende des letzten Jahrhiunderts bedeutet hat.
Sehr beeindruckend ist das Modell einer Zirkuslandschaft aus dieser Zeit. Ebenso wie die Zirkusexponate in diesem Teil des Museums. Für Kinder ebenso geeignet wie für Kind gebliebene.
Der Park mit der Villa der Ringlings ist wunderschön.
Für Kinderr weniger geeignet, aber sehr interessant ist die Gemäldegalerie.
Alles in allem eine absolute Empfehlung.
Donnerstags länger geöffnet und ab 17 Uhr vergünstigter Eintritt.

We have a reciprocal membership at The Ringling, and it is completely worth it. The reciprocal membership gets us into most of the museums in Florida, and we have used it frequently. I highly recommend looking into it if you live in the area.
The Ringling is fantastic. We’ve spent hours and hours simply walking around on the grounds, and enjoying the gardens, ponds, and beautiful banyan trees. Our daughter loves the playground, and she likes to see the Florida soft shell turtles, koi fish, and gallinules in the pond. The grounds are always free to walk around on, and are worth a look even if you don’t feel like spending money to get into the buildings.
Two of the buildings have circus things, there is a sprawling building with art (exhibits change in some of the sections regularly), and then the winter home of John and Mabel Ringling. We have done self tours of the home several times, which is much nicer if you want to play around taking pictures, but the docent tours are actually pretty good as well.
I could probably write pages and pages about all the things I love at this place. Just visit.

This is definitely one of my all time favorite spots. The gardens surrounding the museum and mansion are beautiful — you’ll see ancient banyan trees with aerial prop roots spanning considerable area. The rose garden is a beautiful spot for a wedding (assuming the roses are in bloom), and the mansion itself provides are beautiful view of the bay from a gorgeous marble courtyard. The museum has some very intriguing renaissance and baroque pieces, along with some one in a kind furniture and glassware. I didn’t get to see the circus museum, but I’ll check it out next time I’m in Sarasota for sure.

FYI: IF YOU ARE ON A SCOOTER YOU WILL BE DENIED ACCESS AND ENTRY TO THE CA D’ZAN MANSION.
My email to The Ringling explains it all:
Sirs and Madam:
I was denied entry to the Ca d’Zan Mansion by a security guard because I was on a small electric scooter. I had purchased my museum admission along with my husband for the 1PMtour at 10AM Saturday, April 9, 2016. Waited in line and was directed to the back ramp. There, after waiting for 15 minutes, I was told I had to either walk in or sit in a wheelchair.
None of this information is on your website. It does state that strollers are even allowed on first floor tours. But nothing about a scooter. I have attached actual screen shots of your website.
I live in Kissimmee, Florida and we drove 2 hours to tour the mansion.
We planned an entire day at the Ringling with an overnight stay at a local motel nearby which I could not cancel at that point of time being it was now after 1PM…3 hours before checkin.
After leaving the mansion and seeing several people in wheelchairs, I find out a wheelchair was available on grounds at each venue but the security guard mentioned nothing about my being able to get one while there. She was no help at all. She never once suggested I get one to enter the mansion.
Needless to say I was very disappointed as I sat there and watched eveyone walk in and enjoy themselves.
Be advised: I intend to file a complaint with the ADA about this incident.

Believe me when I say this state art museum of Florida is beautiful all around as this Sarasota gem is a must. John and Marble Ringling Museum of Art is beyond imagination with all that there is to see, right before your eyes. Courtyard is gorgeous, let alone all of the new and remodeled buildings surrounded by gardens, plants, statues, water, and more. Artwork is absolutely flawless; you would be one step ahead of being amazed.
Outdoor park for children sits near the breathtaking garden. Trams are available and free.
On Mondays, this perfect gem is completely free, as this complimentary gets you into basically all buildings, including a Tour of the Mansion. With the enchanting art and history, a circus is also present throughout this captivating property. Circus is popular but not what this treasure is all about.
A few months back, I had a photo shoot here and was stopped by an employee upon my entrance, asking me to pay to shoot on their grounds, which was shocking. As for my previous shoot, I did not encounter anything like this. Nonetheless, I did not have to pay a fee of any kind after all.
From the breathtaking views of the architecture, atmosphere, courtyard, grounds, park, sunset, tour, water, everything about this prize possession is out-​of-​this-​world in every way possible.
Get your cameras out to capture the best of what your eyes are in for at this stunning gold of beauty.

This is one of the best museums that I have been to in Florida. You will need at least 3 hours to get through the whole property. I started in the Circus Museum and spent at least half an hour there. The intricate figures made the circus scene look so real. I was amazed at the skill it must have taken to create it.
The garden was breathtakingly beautiful! When we went the roses were in full bloom. It’s a great place to take pictures. We toured the first floor of the Ca D’Zan; the house was spectacular and had so much history to it. My favorite part was the art museum. We ran out of time and didn’t have chance to examine every painting. There’s always next time! On Mondays, they have free admission to the art museum.

World class Art Museum, Circus Museum, and Ringling Mansion tour. If you’re in the area… GO.
Monday’s are free admission to art museum.

I visited the Circus Museum and the Ca d’Zan only, didn’t get to the art gallery. I thought the Circus Museum was okay… it was a bit smaller than I thought it would be. I did however really enjoy looking inside the private railroad car that John and Mable traveled in and watching the informational video about their life.
The Ca d’Zan was really interesting… so much to see… especially that beautiful view at the back of the house!
I’m not sure I would go back again, but I think it’s worth a visit if you’ve never been before.

The miniature circus was cool and educational. We enjoyed the two visiting exhibits more (Samurai and Iranian art). The outside of the artsy building was beautiful as was the view. We didn’t get to sit on the benches because it was raining, but wanted to. The landscaping was beautiful, we did not expect being able to tour the grounds.

This is a great spot to spend the day. Even if you don’t go into the museums, the grounds are gorgeous and the view from C’a d’Zan is unbeatable.
Don’t miss the Circus Museum. Absolutely fascinating and entertaining. Unfortunately the art museum is a bit too «dark» for me. I’m not a fan of the period.
Love the special evenings with live music on the water.
This is a «must see» for anybody living in or visiting Sarasota!

I always bring visitors here. It is a gem of a place with something for everyone. Could spend hours here and my goal is to come once a week to drink in the beauty and culture of the place. Highly recommend.

Tons to do here, definitely worth the cost. There is a very interesting circus museum describing the history of the circus world-​wide, also its heyday in the US in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Amazing diorama of a circus set-​up, that alone is worth the cost of admission! Also make sure to see John and Mable Ringling’s real private railroad car, fully outfitted. Then there is their mansion, Ca d’Zan, that offers separate tours often during the day for which you have to sign up and pay extra. And their art museum which could take days to see it all. Several cafes and a restaurant where you can get a bite to eat, also a rose garden and beautiful large grounds to walk around.

Wonderful grounds. Enjoyed the circus museum very much, a great learning experience. Ringling is definitely on the return list.

Ringling has three superlatives: ocean front setting, Baroque paintings and circus museum. We talk about the first two here.
If you take the time to go to the seaside pavilion, the view is breathtaking looking to the Gulf. The cute pavilion itself is fun. The main museum complex is Mediterranean style in pink surrounding large formal gardens opening out to the seaview. I personally have not seen a more lovely museum venue.
The huge wall sized Rubens painting, «Triumph of Divine Love» hangs in the first gallery. The matching tapestry is on the opposite wall. The painting is full sized and the tapestry was woven from that. This sets the tone for the core collection of the Ringling for me. Their Baroque masters from the 15^th to 17^th centuries are superb. I’ll let some pictures below give the flavor.
They also have the Koger Collection of early Chinese porcelain (finer than ceramics). But very few items are on display, waiting for a new wing. A Japanese martial arts exhibition is scheduled for next month.
The Ringling is an exquisite gem and located in Florida.

The grounds at this museum are beautiful. I’m not much of a circus fan, so I went for the art museum. While I was impressed with the first galleries to the right in the museum, those on the left were disappointing. The courtyard in the art museum was gorgeous.
While we didn’t take a guided tour of the art museum we were enjoying various artworks while children’s guided tours came by. I was VERY unimpressed with a few comments made by the docent (I don’t think it was a teacher) regarding the religious artwork; the 10 year olds didn’t need to hear, and probably didn’t understand, her grudge against the Catholic Faith, and her comments didn’t pertain to the painting, either, and could have been left out.
Again, overall the grounds were beautiful, even in December. The employees at the entrance were very friendly and helpful, as was the French (?) speaking woman who works in the Gift Shop. We were also offered a golf cart shuttle/​ride a few times, until we actually needed one; then no one would stop at the designated stop at the main entrance building.

I understand why this is rated so high. We were in Sarasota for Christmas vacation and came to the Ringling Museum 3 out of the 10 days. I am not a huge fan of the circus however I was blown away by the miniature circus exhibit. The grounds are beautiful and I loved the Private Places Tour of the Ca D’ Zan mansion.
The staff is also very friendly and helpful.
John Ringling literally put Sarasota on the map!
This is a must see if visiting Sarasota.

I’ve gone to the Ringling twice now and both times it has been amazing. This second time I went (late July 2015) there was a bit of construction going on in the art gallery and the circus museum, but getting to go in the Ca D’Zan was worth the money alone.
Pay for the Private Places tour. It is worth every penny! The stairs are very steep on that part of the tour, but the things you get to see make it worth it.

#298
WOW! I couldn’t stop saying that going thru both Circus Museums and The Ringling House.
This is one place that is certainly worth the price of admission from the Tibbals Circus Miniature Building to Ca d’Zan, John and Mabels winter home. It is just fabulous and rivals The Hearst Castle or The Newport, R.I. Mansions. Placed right on the gulf the architecture is staggering and the setting and gardens couldn’t be better.
The Circus Museum is split between rwo buildings, both incredible including the miniature tent city erected when the Circus came to town and John Ringling’s personal Pullman railroad car.
We didn’t do the Art Museum… too much for one day but we will be back.
Right in our backyard in Sarasota this is well worth the time effort and money. Don’t miss it.

The museum is the actual winter estate of John and Mable Ringling who owned the greatest show on earth. You will learn the history and background of the circus.
Since the Ringlings had no children, they donated their estate to Florida where they wintered.
Plan on spending at least 4 hours if you want to see and do it all. We did a self guided tour and visited the art exhibit. Only issue I had here was the many employees that guarded over you with constant warnings not to touch or drink while inside. Understandable that they are their to protect, but a bit overkill, especially when we had been to Dc and didn’t encounter any issues like this their.
The home is on the water and with the price of admission, you get to tour the first floor and outside grounds. Very ornate décor. If you want a docent with tour, you will pay $ 5 more and be escorted to the second floor.
The circus museum has miniature collection and an interactive area.
There is a secret garden and play area for the kids.

The circus museum is wonderful. I enjoyed learning about the history of this type of entertainment. There is a huge, and I mean really huge, to the point you’re still not going to believe me, set of miniatures depicting a circus. So realistic.
The tents are partially cut away so you can see what’s going on inside. There are miniatures of the railroad cars that transport of the circus, the horses and wagons, performers and spectators, and, well, just everything that makes up a circus.
The house, well, it is beautiful and the how’s and why’s are interesting, but the idea of building such a house and then only living in it a couple of months a year seems foolish to me beyond belief. Yes, it is impressive and well worth the tour. It is the motivation for building it that leaves me perplexed.
The art section is quite nice although I don’t have the knowledge to have a full appreciation. One of my companions on the visit, knowing my ignorance mentioned to me that in the paintings the person in red was the most important one. But my view is that what is most important is in the center of the painting, so why in many of them is the guy in red off to the side. I am sure this question is further proof of my artistic ignorance. But I liked it anyway.
It was too hot when we were there to do a full tour of the grounds. There is a shuttle available that reduces the amount of walking.
My suggestion is that even if you have only half a day go anyway. You won’t see everything in that time but you will see your money’s worth. And there’s enough good left that you’ll see your money’s worth on a second or third visit.

So worth it! The circus stuff is neat! Love the old circus posters. The miniature circus is extremely impressive, amazing it was 1 man over 50 years.
The art, grounds, and the buildings are gorgeous.
Loved the Ringling Mansion. The colored glass was lovely, and the painted ceiling in the ballroom was great. Very well preserved. Rivals The Breakers in Newport.

— Short Synopsis —
This place is more interesting and larger than I expected. It is composed of four main aspects: the circus portion, Mr. & Mrs. Ringling’ Mansion (Ca D’zan), the art galleries, and the outside Bayfront garden parts. In retrospect, I wish I came right when it opened instead of coming an hour later; the extra hour would of allowed to me enjoy more things in greater detail. I spent roughly 6 hours here and didn’t get to touch many of the details I wanted, so there is a lot to see.
I would recommend coming here, especially if you have your student ID ($ 5 admission). Parking is also complimentary.
— Detailed Review —
As you drive in, you are greeted by the main entrance to the Museum of Art; however, this is not the entrance that grants you access to the Ringling estate. Instead, you turn right into the parking lot and the Ringling visitor entrance is near the FSU Center of Performing Arts building at the end of the parking lot.
As you first enter the Visitor Pavilion, there is a nice short video that introduces the Ringling estate and what to expect. The historic Asolo theater is also in the building and there is a short video in the theater where you can learn the history of the theater. It was cool to see and learn about. In addition to the theater and introduction video, the Visitor Pavilion houses the museum store/​café and is where you purchase admission. (only $ 5 if you have a student ID). The next closest building would be the Circus Museum.
I enjoyed the Circus Museum and it was my favorite part of the whole estate. My favorite part here was the «largest» miniature circus model in the world. It sounds oxymoronic, but it is quite a spectacle to see. I also enjoyed just learning more about the circus and the entertainment industry history. It is crazy to think how such large operations were conducted back in those days among other things. I probably could of spent around 3 – 4 hours here (instead of 2) if I had the time. There are many details to look at and read about that I had to gloss over due to time constraints and my desire to see everything here.
For the outside portions with the Rose Garden, Bayfront Gardens, and the Ringling resting place (secret garden), they were all pretty and well formatted. The flowers seemed to not in full bloom, so it must have been the wrong season to come to see them. Regardless, it provides a nice transition between the different buildings of the Ringling estate.
The mansion (Ca D’zan) was cool both literally and figuratively, with the A/​C and the amazing, luxurious interior design. Unfortunately, you are only able to see the first floor with the normal admission ticket and need to wait for designated tour times to be allowed in. You can pay extra for a private led tour and to view the second floor of the mansion. As it smaller than the circus museum, you can probably spend about an hour in here or even less.
The art center (Museum of Art) is quite amazing and has rotating portions that change their art displays. The interior courtyard is also beautiful and has statues plotted throughout it. I am not too much of an art person, but I did enjoy going through the art. It was overwhelming at times, but the guided tours definitely helped going through the large collections of art.
For transportation, you can either walk from place to place or wait at a «tram» stop for a golf cart to come by and drive you around.
Overall, a beautiful, large estate with many things to do that allows you to either spend your whole day here looking at the details, or to just spend a few hours skimming what you want.
I would highly recommend coming here, especially if you have your student ID (since it will only be $ 5!!!).

All the reviews said to plan on spending a lot of time here. They are not kidding. We were there for four hours and that was with no tours, no eating, missing the library and the Center for Asian Art, and going relatively fast through other two art buildings. We did spend around 15 – 20 minutes at playground.
I had been concerned the place was more art/​house then kid friendly. I was wrong. We spent over two hours in the two circus buildings, which while incredibly informative and historical, also had plenty of fun displays, activities like tight rope walking, and fun movies to keep the daughter happy. She also had found the patches scavenger hunt booklet which had her thrilled and really into the displays. Plus on Saturdays they do kids art projects in the afternoon.
The grounds are beautiful, with lots of walkways and gardens that smell heavenly. Wish we were here when the rose garden was in bloom. There is a tram that takes around if don’t want to walk.
The house is spectacular, though we only did the first floor as didn’t want to spend the time/​money on the upper levels. But I could sit on their patio overlooking the water all day.
The artwork is spectacular but mainly religious.
My main complaint, and the reason they got a four star instead of five, is the food situation. They have a café on premise and it is not good. Very limited selection of food that has questionable freshness (premade sitting under heat lamps) at very high prices. I recommend bringing own lunch if possible and sitting at tables near playground, in the dwarf garden or on the patio by the water.

This is an outstanding museum. It has beautiful sprawling grounds, including a children’s playground. There is the huge Ringling House located on the waterfront, and extensive art museum and the circus museum and exhibit.
While the art museum is quite good and has a few excellent paintings, it is not really world class, but the circus museum is, and it’s worth the price of admission alone.
Plan to spend some time here because there is quite a lot to see.
And there are two places to refresh and dine. The Banyon Café is located in the center of the grounds and the very good Treviso Restaurant is near the entrance.
This is a great place and well worth a day trip from just about anywhere in Florida.

This massive estate contains the Ringling’s mansion, Ca’ d’Zan, John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Mable Ringling’s rose garden, the Circus Museum and Tibbals Learning Center, the historic Asolo Theater, the Ringling Art Library, the Secret Garden, gravesite of John and Mable Ringling and the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.
I thought three hours would be enough time to see everything, but we only had time to take a tour of Mansion, stroll through the garden, quickly breeze through the Museum of Art, and run through the Circus Museum.
The property is so beautifully landscaped, I could have spent all day outside just walking around. The estate is superbly maintained.
We arrived at opening, and the first thing we did was go to the mansion and take pictures before everyone congregated, which made for some great pictures. We started off taking our time and looking at everything. Then, we took a tour of the first and second floor. The reason I am giving this a 4 star rating, and not 5 is because the tour talked about the safe on the third floor, but we weren’t allowed to see it (which is the most interesting thing in my opinion). If we were able to see more of the mansion, including the 3^rd floor safe, I would be writing a 5 star review, for sure. The mansion was beautiful, and our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the estate. For only a $ 5 additional charge per person, well worth it!
After the tour, and a few more pictures, we were on to the Art Museum. It is a good sized museum, with lots of art; some were on loan, and some loaned art was on display. I wished we had more time to read about all the individual pieces, but due to my poor planning, we were running short on time. If you like art, give yourself two to three hours to buff up on just this one gallery.
P. S. The statue of David in the courtyard is a reproduction, NOT the original.
From the art gallery, we moseyed back through the beautiful landscape and on to the Largest mini Circus Museum where I was pleased to find a scale model of my hometown Knoxville, Tennessee. The detail and precision is truly amazing. By this time, we only had about 15 minutes to speed through, snap a few quick pics, and head to a late afternoon appointment up north.
To see everything, I’m sure this would be an all day affair. To see what we seen without running, I would give between four and five hours to not have to run. This was a really good time, and if you are a history, architecture, or art lover I highly, HIGHLY recommend this place as a destonation of pure awe.

I would rate this place 5 stars if our food experience there hadn’t been so poor!
I’ll start out with the pros. It’s beautiful! I can’t think of another word to accurately describe my impression of the grounds. I knew that there was a museum there and a historical estate so I figured it was large but the vastness of the place took me by complete surprise, I definitely did not wear the right shoes lol.
You start off in the guest relations area where they provide you with a map. Once you pass that first building the grounds open up. Everywhere you turn is a photo opportunity.
The museums were very entertaining. We first went to the Tibbals Learning Center… we spent the most time there. They have a lot of circus history exhibits as well as interactive exhibitions like walking the rope, balancing atop a horse, and little videos on how feats were performed. I had a lot of fun. The second building we went to was the circus museum which houses some of the original costumes, props, and even boxcars from the circus.
We then went to eat… I’ll rate the Banyan Café separately but it was awful! We didn’t try the café/​bistro in the welcome center but I heard it was much better.
The rose garden… amazing…the dwarf garden… fun and quirky… the secret garden… beautiful…the Ca’ d’zan…breathtaking (definitely worth waiting for the self guided tour, the back terrace area was my favorite part), the millennium tree trail offered a nice shady area to rest.
At this point you’re probably going to be so exhausted but the best is saved for last… by the way there are little golf carts that ride you around if you need to but we made the poor choice of «exercising» and by the time we got to the museum of art we were about to call it quits. I’m glad we didn’t give up because it housed a wonderful collection of art… It houses a wide variety of styles… renaissance, baroque, classical… as well as contemporary and visiting exhibits.
Overall a wonderful way to spend the day :).

The Ringling is a real cool museum around the Sarasota, Florida area. The museum is on the palatial grounds of the old circus king that seemed to own the area 50 years ago.
You walk up and the place is amazing, you could spend all day just walking the wonderful paths along the water and what seems like acres of beautiful architecture.
The museum is full of what must be millions of dollars worth of artwork. It is truly awe inspiring.
My wife and I spent about an hour walking through the glorious paintings.
Definitely worth a visit, a great break during a Sarasota tour. Check out the Sarasota Brewing Company for some brews and then relax your buzz checking out these paintings.
The Sarasota antique car museum is across the street, also worth a look!

Un incontournable dans la région. Il y en a pour toute la famille. Le domaine en soi vaut le détour avec ses points de vue remarquables, sa vue imprenable sur le golfe et ses très nombreuses statues.
Avec des enfants de 5 – 10 ans, né manquez pas l’exposition consacrée au cirque!

Un passage obligé si vous passez à Sarasota.
Un musée complet sur le cirque, le manoir de la famille Ringling et la surprenante et imposante collection d’arts de John Ringling dans un parc où la végétation est luxuriante.
Si vous passez au Visitor Center avant, vous obtiendrez une réduction de 2 US$ pour l’entrée.
Le prix régulier est de 25 US$ par personne, le parking est gratuit.
Vous avez de quoi vous restaurer à l’intérieur pour un prix raisonnable.
La visite prend au minimum 4 heures.