The Ringling Museum- Home of Creativity and Wonder.

The Ringling Art Museum located in Sarasota Bay just 45 minutes south of Tampa is a large museum with grounds that can spark creativity and inspiration. The Museum is truly an all-day excursion and the potential for photo-ops is endless, as you’ll see by the pictures in this post. Whether you’re a person with a love for art, history, or you just need to get out of the house and do something different, this museum will not disappoint.

There are many museums in downtown Tampa, The Tampa Museum of Art, the Tampa Bay History Center, The Florida Museum of Photography, and the Museum of Science and Industry. However, if you’re like me and have already been to all those museums; some of them multiple times, then the extra drive to the Ringling Museum is well worth it.

Once you arrive at the museum, parking is free and there are plenty of spots to choose from. This is a nice change from the struggles of finding parking in downtown Tampa. The museum is very passionate about education, and it is just $5 for students to get in when you show your ID. On Mondays however, the museum is free for everyone. John Ringling put this in his will before he died, wanting his legacy to be for him and his wife Mable’s love of art to be their legacy in the area.

History:

The property was owned and built by John Ringling, one of the five Ringling brothers and one of the founders of the beloved circus, “The Greatest Show on Earth". In 1911 John and his wife Mable purchased the 20-acre property in the Sarasota Bay, they spent their winters there and built a 36,000 square foot mansion in the Venetian Gothic style of the palazzi in Venice, Italy. I have never been to Europe but looking at this beautiful house one can instantly feel like they’re standing in front of an Italian palace and not in front of someone’s winter home in Florida.

The Ca’D’Zan:

We spent the extra $15 to tour the inside of their mansion, the Ca’d’Zan, meaning “house of John” in the Venetian dialect. If you love older homes and objects, I highly suggest adding this part. My admiration for older houses and objects was not disappointed when I stepped inside. The house contains their luxurious possessions, made from all over the world. Deep red-carpet lines the entire floor of the grand living room, and extraordinary hand-stitched tapestries line many of the walls telling stories of events. Every window in the house is divided into lots of little squares with stained glass that make the light shining through resemble oil sitting on the water, something unique that isn’t typically found in a mansion in Sarasota.

Inside of the Ca’D’Zan

Perhaps the best part was not the beautiful furnishings around or below me, but what I saw when I looked up. In the grand living room, the same multicolored stained glass was in patterns all above, allowing the most beautiful light to filter through even on this cloudy day. Surrounding the glass is wood detailing with painted designed trims and painted wood tiles that tell stories. One’s neck can begin to hurt from staring at the ceiling for so long. Everything from a painted moon and stars, to religious depictions, to what appeared to be monarchy influenced family crests. You can get so lost in the mesmerizing ceiling that the mystery of how someone accomplished such a masterpiece 50 feet off the ground feels like simply magic. Stepping outside to see Sarasota bay as the "front lawn" to this house is incredible. The mansion is so unique and royal in its design that looking across the bay to the next-door neighbors with their modern mansions seems somewhat ironic. If you aren't a fan of old houses, you could opt-out of this addition to your day.

Museum of Arts:

The next building of the museum is a U shape, pink palace built in 1925 that showcases John Ringling's collection of art. The palace holds 21 galleries full of his treasures from around the world. Each gallery room has its own theme that matches the time period and places it originated from. The galleries themselves could take hours to walk around. Whatever your taste in art is, this building houses it.

A gallery inside the museum

The courtyard of the pink palace is easily the most beautiful and picturesque at the museum, (photo of the courtyard is the cover photo). From any exhibit in the museum, you can step outside to see palm trees and a variety of green plants that give a complementary pop of color to the light pink exterior of the building. Greek Gods and Goddesses stand around the top of every side, European statues that John purchased in Europe. Many people have wedding ceremonies in this courtyard. We were lucky enough to see a couple get married in the middle of the courtyard, the perfect backdrop for a wedding.

Circus Museum:

Now, if you’re a fan of the circus, the circus museum is perfect for you. The Ringling Brothers Circus is historic. Even if you never went as a child, most people have memories of watching the circus through a VCR on their television. The museum sparks the same magic that “The Greatest Show on Earth” used to spark when it was still running circuses.

The Circus museum showcases historic artifacts of the museum, pictures, old advertisements, costumes, and real props that were used in the circus. When you continue into the museum there is a massive 3,800 square foot mini circus display that was built by hand. The display depicts the life around the circus, as well as what it was truly like when the circus came to town. It is so detailed and large, and you can even see the workshop where Howard Tibbals still works on the display.

If you need a break from the city and wish to reinspire your creativity, the Ringling Museum may be perfect for you. The very affordable $5 admission for students makes it a place that you could visit again and again and admire the art and history of this beautiful estate and museums.