The Ringling, in Sarasota, Florida consists of the John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, the Circus museum, the Ringlings’ mansion, Cà d’Zan, and the historic Asolo Theater. The Asolo Theater was closed for renovation when we went.
All the Ringling buildings and wonderful grounds are worth seeing and can easily take a morning or afternoon to visit them.
Ringling Museum of Art
The Art Museum has twenty-one galleries of European paintings including an impressive collection from Peter Paul Rubens. It also has Asian, American, and contemporary art. The inner courtyard is absolutely beautiful.
Cà d’Zan
Cà d’Zan was the John and Mable Ringling mansion on Sarasota Bay. It was designed by architect Dwight James Baum with input from the Ringlings’. It was built by Owen Burns and completed in 1926.
Circus Museum
The Circus Museum documents the history of the circus and shows why the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was such a big deal. It displays the Wisconsin, the personal rail car of the Ringlings’. They used the car to travel with the circus and on vacations.
Florida State University has governed The Ringling since 2000 and it seems like a great fit.
