Off to see the Circus!

Dunedin, FL -- Some days unfold in a completely different way than you expect. Such was the case today, when we headed up to the clubhouse for the weekly Monday morning coffee, and sat down with our new friends Paul and Karen. They mentioned that they were heading out to Sarasota to see the Ringling Cultural Center -- and asked us if we'd like to come with them.

"Give me a second to clear my calendar for the day," Val quickly replied, and shortly afterward, we were in their car heading south toward Tampa Bay and beyond. The trip took about an hour, although it went very quickly as we got better acquainted. We crossed the huge Sunshine Skyway bridge between St Petersburg and Bradenton and on to Sarasota.

The Ringling, as the facility is called, is a 66-acre tract of land with beautiful gardens and vegetation, ponds and fountains, plus a museum dedicated to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, a huge art gallery, a theatre and, at the far end of the property where it meets Sarasota Bay, the Venetian-style mansion where John Ringling and his wife lived out their final days.

 We arrived at the circus museum just as the guided tour was beginning. Brightly coloured circus posters from the past, with tigers and elephants and acrobats and girls in sequins and feathers, beckoned small-town Americans to the big top for a day they would not soon forget. Original circus carts with ornately carved decorations and flashing wheels were on display, and you could almost see the snarling tigers behind the cage bars, or hear the upbeat music from the bandwagon that led the parade into town.

Next door in the Tibbals Learning Center, we marveled at the miniature circus display of some 3,000 hand-carved figures of performers, animals and spectators, lovingly created by one man, with wagons, train cars, tents, sideshows and a 7,000-seat big top three-ring circus tent complete with animated acts. Each figure was about four inches tall, with delightful scenes of performers practising, chefs serving hundreds of meals, men unloading horses from train cars, and kiddies licking cotton candy. It was wonderful!

John Ringling, the youngest of the five brothers, had a huge collection of priceless masterpieces that are housed in the Museum of Art which is, itself, a place of classic beauty, with a central garden surrounded by arched porticoes topped with copies of classic sculptures, and highlighting a replica of Michelangelo's David at its centre. We strolled through dozens of galleries till our feet ached!

One of the trams that purr through the grounds was a welcome sight when it pulled up to the doorway to carry us off to Ca'D'Zan, the Ringling's mansion. On the way, we passed massive banyan trees and sprawling lawns, as well as Mabel Ringling's colourful rose garden. We didn't have tickets to tour the inside of the mansion, but the outside views were magnificent, with their marble patios and commanding view of Sarasota Bay.

We didn't get back to the RV park till almost 7 pm, but it was a terrific day from start to finish, thanks to our kind friends Karen and Paul.