The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

Now that tourist season is upon us I must take the opportunity to write about what has to be the greatest man made treasure here in Sarasota , our own Ringling Museum , The State Art Museum of Florida . A most wonderful legacy of circus magnate of John Ringling and wife Mable , left to the state of Florida at his death in 1936 , the museum houses works by Titian , Veronese , Rubens , Hals , and Velazquez as well as numerous antiquities . Now the museum displays American , European , and Asian works as well as stunning Baroque period paintings . Ringling contracted John Phillips in 1925 to build a Renaissance/Baroque palace and courtyard . Cultural disaster was averted in 2000 when , short on funds and threatening to close this treasure , the state of Florida gave stewardship of The Ringling Mueum and estate to The Florida State University thus creating one of the largest museum and university complexes in the world ! Today , more than 300,000 visitors come to see works of art , circus museum , Historic Asolo Theatre , and the Ringling mansion known as Ca d' Zan or House of John . Today a one time admitance charge will allow one to tour the art museum , grounds , circus museum , the Tibbles Center , a newer addition depicting in miniature a typical circus grounds of the 1930s , Historic Asolo Theatre , and of course the mansion itself . If you desire a private hour long tour of the mansion tickets can be purchased separately . The mansion is a must see for it represents a true Venetian Gothic palace . Completed in 1926 it soon became the hub of a who's who of American society notables that had come out of America's Gilded Age . The Palmers , Fields , and others were frequent guests . In the early 1950s The Ringling purchased The Historic Asolo Theatre , a 1798 Asolo , Italy theatre . Restored in 2006 , the theatre remains a center of Sarasota's famous art culture . The newest treasure is The Tibbals Learning Center showing the brainchild of Mr . Tibbals , a circus in miniature ! Also new is Treviso , a fine Italian restaurant found in the Visitors Center . The Ringling Museum can be found off North Trail at 5401 Bay Shore Rd . Telephone 941.358.3180 or on the web at www.ringling.org . Until October 26 see Ringling Retro : Modern and Contemporary Art . Until Jan . 4 , 09 see Modern Masters of Japanese Print and until Jan . 11 , 09 check out To Live Forever : Egyptian Treasures from The Brooklyn Museum . My traveling editor gave this one a " WOW " . So , if you are visiting Sarasota you must go to The Ringling and stay the day or , if you live here and haven't gone in a while get up and go ! Memberships are available for as little as $ 75.00 USD per year ! For these and all other traveling adventures go to my website at mpage.paradisenetwork.com/welcome/ and keep those traveling shoes on !