Ringling Mansion and Circus Museum

During the first week of Charlie's radiation treatment, we tried to venture out afterward to some of the beaches and attractions in Sarasota.  Yesterday, we went to the Ringling complex to see the mansion and the circus museum.

John and Mable Ringling loved everything Italian, and built themselves a palace at the edge of Sarasota Bay much like the palaces on the Grand Canal in Venice.

All that tile in the foreground is a marble patio.  Even the boat dock is marble.

Most of the windows are tinted glass or stained glass.  I love the glowing patchwork appearance of the windows.

Here is Mr. Ringling's personal bar, with lots of beautiful glass, wood, and tile.

I loved this wooden door.

The grounds were beautiful, with bromeliads, 

banyan trees with aerial roots reaching the ground,

and a rose garden with lots of sculptures. 

On the same grounds as the mansion, there is an art museum and a performing arts center.  We saved the art museum for another visit, and saw the circus exhibits.  I was drawn to the costumes on display.

Here is a ringmaster's jacket and top hat.

The elephant blanket and this dress from one of the parades were the best textiles on display!

There was also a fantastic miniature circus that took up an enormous floor space.  It took fifty years to build.  The pictures don't do it justice.

For color inspiration, there were quite a few of the ornate circus train cars on display.

May all your days be circus days!