You may not know it, but Sarasota, Florida, has been dubbed “The Circus Capital of the World” ever since John and Mable Ringling made their winter home by the Sarasota Bay. A friend of mine mentioned the significance of the Ringling legacy when I told her I was moving here, and she encouraged me to “be a tourist” in my own community by enjoying the Ringling Museum. That was before my friend even knew I had a silly family circus story in my background.

As my grandmother tells it, her next-door neighbor and close friend, Margaret, came from a family of entertaining entrepreneurs, known as the Carson and Barnes Circus. Carson and Barnes was a staple within the Midwest for decades and well-known for European acrobats and numerous elephants. As young children, my mom and aunts begged my grandmother to see the circus when it came into town and, specifically, to ride the elephant affectionately named Margaret.

When I was perhaps 5 or 6 years old, my mom and my aunt took me to see a Carson and Barnes performance and, of course, to ride Margaret, the elephant. My aunt swears there’s a photo somewhere of me from the late 1970s with my sister and my cousin, all on top of Margaret. Although I was young, I remember being in awe over the size of Margaret’s enormous feet — and I remember being a bit overwhelmed by the height of my view while trying not to fall off the giant creature I was riding!

Mind you, I didn’t expect to see any live elephants at the Ringling Museum, but I’d been curious about visiting it ever since my friend mentioned the troupe wintered in Sarasota. So, a few weeks ago, I asked a couple of friends if they might like to join me.

We started the morning with Starbucks coffee inside the welcome center before walking the pathway through the grounds toward Sarasota Bay. Our first photos came of Ca’ d’Zan, John and Mable Ringling’s 36,000-square-foot private residence built in 1924. Though we didn’t purchase tickets to tour the inside, I’m told it’s five stories high and houses a full basement and a 22-seat dining table. No worries, I’ll be back.

We also meandered through the different gardens with more than 2,300 trees; Mable Ringling’s Rose Garden; and The Secret Garden, where John, Mable and John’s sister, Ida, are all buried.

But nothing could prepare me for the Museum of Art. Home to an original 21 different galleries, the museum showcases hundreds of the Ringlings’ personal collection of European paintings and their love of Baroque art. Numerous tapestries, antiques and other historical items collected from the early ’20s and ’30s are also on display. Truly, I was overwhelmed by the size of the art, the number of pieces, the detail within each work and the historical significance of the museum in my very own community.

And then I realized … isn’t eliciting awe and overwhelming the goal of anyone in the circus business?

From Margaret the elephant to the Ringling Museum, I’d say: Mission accomplished.

— Carrie Cox, account executive