Big-Top Fun!

Hey guys! I went to the Circus Museum at the Ringling in Sarasota, Florida, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

The Ringling is a large complex that features a circus museum, an art museum, a rose garden, a historic house, and large, beautiful grounds.

My family and I went to the Circus Museum Tibbals Learning Center. We saw a giant mural, a miniature circus, sparkly costumes, and a circus bandwagon and calliope. We also got to try to fit in a clown car and “walk the wire” in a fun, interactive room.

You see the giant mural right when you walk in, and it depicts lots of people and things from a circus, such as acrobats, clowns, animal trainers, and animals such as elephants and tigers.

The next thing we saw was the Howard Bros. Circus Model. This miniature circus has 44,000 pieces and was all built by the man for whom the learning center was named! Some of my favorite things about the mini circus were the sideshow ads and the big top (which of course wasn’t too big!).

In the learning center, another favorite area of mine is the room where you can “become part of the circus.” You can see what it's like to be a circus performer by standing on a plastic horse, walking a tightrope wire (that's on the ground), and trying to fit into a tiny clown car.

So if you are looking to learn about the circus and have some genuine big-top fun, the Ringling’s Tibbals Learning Center is the place for you!