The Ringling was just over the Manatee River Bridge, about 10 miles down the road. We purchased an admission package that included the grounds, mansion, circus museum and art museum. The historical marker and lion greeted us as we entered the visitor center. On the opposite side, the doors opened to the lush Bayfront Gardens.
There was a rose garden and several perennial gardens, but the stars of the show were the trees. The Hong Kong Orchid Tree, African Tulip Tree, and several large Banyan trees all competed for attention as we made our way down to Ca' d'Zan, the winter residence of John and Mable Ringling.
We took a docent-led tour of the mansion's first and second floors where we saw the Ballroom, Court, Breakfast Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Pantry, and John and Mable's Bedrooms. No photography was allowed within the house. The tour finished on the Terrace which overlooked Sarasota Bay. John Ringling once moored his 125-foot yacht, Zalophus, off this terrace -- in very shallow water. The Ringlings had no children and when John died in 1936, he left the mansion and art museum to the people of Florida.
Our second stop on the property was the Circus Museum which housed costumes and props from the Greatest Show on Earth.
Featured were a ferocious tiger (he was a pussy cat today), a famous clown (Emmett Kelly) circus wagons, posters and other advertisements. There was a corner dedicated to high-wire artist Nik Wallenda which included a simulation of his 3/4-inch bridge without a net. Barry got about halfway across before "plummeting" an inch to his simulated demise. I was able to cross the whole thing, but, alas, there are no pictures to prove it. The most amazing exhibit, however, was the 44,000 piece miniature circus created by Howard Tibbal. It depicts the entire circus process from the railway to the rodeo in a .75 inch to 1 foot scale.
The detail was amazing. The afternoon was quickly getting away from us so we only did a quick pass through the State Art Museum of Florida. Exhibits were primarily sourced by John Ringling and include European paintings and even a paneled room from the Astor mansion in New York. Classical sculptures, including a 19th-century reproduction of Michelangelo's David, filled the grand courtyard along with enormous pots of beautiful bougainvillea. We said goodbye to The Ringling and set out for our next destination, Siesta Key.
Known as being one of America's Best Beaches, Siesta Key is made famous by its sugar-fine white sand. We parked at one of the many public access points, changed into our Keen water shoes, and walked down a palm-tree lined path to the beach. I could instantly tell that the sand was amazingly soft and nothing like what is found at Virginia Beach. The Gulf of Mexico was calm and the water was crystal clear. The criss-cross patterns made by advancing and retreating waves glistened in the sun. The surf zone was primarily made up of tiny shells, but there were larger treasures to be found only a few more feet out. I looked down and spotted this sand dollar just waiting for me to pick it up. That made my day. We left about a half hour before sunset. Knowing that I haven't posted a heron picture in what seems like eternity, this guy flew in and posed nicely. I had to oblige and capture his silhouette as we turned to leave.
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