This place is awesome. We spent a solid four hours here, and we could have spent even more. I was confused about what this place even was before I came here, so for those who dont know, here is what it actually is:There are about four distinct things here that your ticket gets you access to. The first is two museums dedicated to the circus. The second is the mansion that John Ringling used to live in (this is an extra cost to see). The third is a series of art museums, including contemporary, Asian, and historical art. The last is the grounds itself, which are simply beautiful.I highly recommend visiting this place. You can easily spend half a day here, and they have discounts for different groups of people, such as being a student, which only costs $5. It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Sarasota.

Extraordinary Mansions built in the 20s on Sarasota Coast by Ringling Family and gifted to The State of Florida. Stunning tours of the amazing architecture, beautiful gardens and exquisite art collections founds within the Art Museum inside the sprawling estate. Worth the entrance fee of $25 to experience the beauty of it all. Call ahead, sometimes FREE on Mondays for general admission! Plan on spending many hours and doing a lot of walking & standing. Great respite. Covid social distancing and mask required. Enjoy! - Jo

This place did not disappoint. From the miniature displays of the circus ring, to the fully furnished train cars, circus memorabilia, mansion (although the 2nd floor is non-accessible due to renovations), extensive art collection, Italian marbled imports, and beautiful grounds, youll easily need a couple of hours to see it all.

Completely stunning in every single possible way. Please proper walking shoes as you will be taking quite a stroll as this place is HUGE. From Mr. Ringlings extravagant mansion to the intricate art museum, there is most definitely going to be something for anybody that arrives here. If you decide to go, there is a chance youll want to come back.

We were supposed to have our wedding here on 11/11/20. But Mother Nature decided it was a great day for Tropical Storm Eta.Tina Bass who had been working with contacted me as early as she could in the morning (to give me as much notice as possible) that Ringling would have to close for safety.We had already talked about it 2 days before when we first heard the storm may come. So I knew the Ringling closing for safety was a possibility.But the next day it looked like it was heading another direction so we both thought we were in the clear. But on 11/11, it circled back to Sarasota.I was so upset.But Tina was in contact with me often and offered a few ideas and days for us to come back to the Ringling.One of the days she suggested was a Sunday. We agreed that would work. I didn’t realize until later that she doesn’t work Sundays, but she came in just for us because she felt so bad about what happened on our day. She went above and beyond to help.Tina was helpful, knowledgeable, and flexible! She offered what she could to make our day great!She definitely takes pride in working at the Ringling and spoke so highly of the Ringling family. We loved hearing the history.Thank you Tina!

Incredible place! Art, architecture, landscaping and history of the place provide an amazing all around experience. Do yourself a favour and plan to spend a day here. You’ll be glad you did! Spending a couple hours will definitely leave you wishing to explore more.

Pleasantly surprised us - so much to see! We enjoyed so much - it kept giving beauty. Wish we wouldve had 3 more hours, we didnt have time to go through the museum, plus needed much more time to see more art. Definitely suggest you walk around the mansion!! FANTASTIC - back is crazy amazing views. Miniature circus, Art, history, beauty. Must see!!!

Great experience, so much to see! I was impressed by the highlights of the museum specially Rubens in Gallery 2

Took advantage of Mondays free admission and Walked the grounds today and took lots of pictures of this incredible place. I will be back soon to take pictures of a bride and bridal party and hopefully for many photo sessions. Any other day is paid admission and photography with tripod also pay extra.

This collection of circus magnate John and Mable Ringling is an excellent representation of a couples love for fine art (European). Stroll through the halls of the permanent exhibits and you will walk through the centuries of classic styles and artists. Our visit included rooms of Asian art, photography, and modern abstracts. If special interest was the body of work of Syd Solomon.Please do not stop after you have completed the museums exhibits indoors. A world of natural and choreographed beauty awaits outside. Gardens, pools, and a view from the seawall even surpass what is hanging on the walls.

What an amazing place to visit. The price might look like too much for an adult. But it definitely is worth it. The museum of Art is amazing. So much to see. The Circus museum is so detailed and amazing also. The courtyard is spectacular and just walking around the grounds is a Kodak moment in every corner. I do recommend to get there when they open the doors. You can spend a whole day there. Definitely a must see.

This was so much better than I could have ever imagined. Bring comfy shoes and plenty of water. You could spend all day on the grounds.

My new and favorite place to learn about expression and tell the world of differences and one could be absolutely loved without fear. No matter what you can express your thoughts through your own art. The world is loving you or not. Just go every Monday y enjoy the real art collection!

This is a must visit for those who appreciate fine arts. The collection is great and the museum is very well organized. The self-guided tour in your phone is fantastic!

Wonderful museum, especially Reubens. Amazing. The circus museun is also a lot of fun, especially for kids.

Touring the grounds as a family is our favorite activity. The park is great with our small child. The grounds are great for a long walk and finishes at the bay with a beautiful view. Highly recommend on a cool fall evening.P.S. The basket swings are the best for looking up at the Banyan trees.

The place is super big and it has a lot to offer. My favorite part was the actual circus museum. But the art museum and the house are really interesting and they have a lot of art. The house unfortunately was under renovations so I couldnt see it all. The gardens are beautiful. I recommend to go really early or later because you have to walk outside and it can feel really hot, on summer time.

A beautiful day trip. Much more to see than we anticipated, so well be back.

Great day trip from the area. History of American Circus life, beautiful home of John Ringling. Extensive collection of Renaissance Art.

Plan on a full day, bring some snacks and water, although there are cafes. Wear good walking shoes and a hat for outside areas. Do the circus areas first then the house then the museum. Take advantage of the benches for a quick rest and enjoy your surroundings . There are fantastic sites everywhere you walk.

This place is awesome! Make sure to come on Mondays because its free

This place is beautiful! The buildings and statues are amazing. We headed to the first building which contained an absolutely amazing miniature display of the railroad and circus, all the way around the building. You can view the display from above through windows in the upper level, very cool. The next building contained the circus carriages and train....even the cannon truck. Then we headed to the mansion....i cannot express how beautiful it was inside and out. We couldnt go upstairs but the details of the building..ceiling..furniture....AMAZING. Then we headed on a beautiful walk through the rose garden and secret garden and a couple really cool places to sit and relax under the trees. Finally headed to the art museum and the gift shop which was a bit expensive. Overall great experience!!

Huge place. Very Beautiful. Spent an enjoyable afternoon wandering around and seeing everything.

Love it!! So much to do and see. You could spend a good 4 to 5 hours walking all of the exhibits and grounds. The art museum was full of must see paintings. The view of the water is Amazing!!!

Possibly the most impressive private collection of art Ive ever seen!

If you are in Sarasota you must come here and see everything with your own eyes!You’ll be amazed by the galaxy and collection that it has. Garden and Mansion ... come see it!

The circus museum was nice. I think I preferred the older one than the miniatures but both were interesting. The grounds are beautiful. With wonderful banyan trees. There is a nice playground for kids. Of course the art museum is interesting to see. Then I think the house tour is really something to experience but I think that might be limited or on pause with covid and repairs.

This is such a gem of a historical property and history of the circus.Definetely worth visiting, and you need time to linger at the displays. The miniature display of the circus grounds, is still a work in progress after 50 years, is truly a labor of love and details every aspect of what it took to run the circus, which is way more than the Big top where the performance took place.The mansion is currently under renovation and only the first floor us accessible.The art collection is something to behold.

I absolutely loved this place in Sarasota although I feel that it is not advertised enough for people to visit it. Beautiful, unique grounds you can walk around. The Rose garden is amazing, the secret garden and the Banyan trees. A lot of outdoor sculptures and the Ca dZan it is a true piece of art. The museum of art is amazing (we spent over 3 hours just there). I visited in Jun and the Circus museum was closed for renovation, but I will definitely be back for it when opens. This is a MUST visit location in Florida.

I never thought of be able to experience a European palace here in the states. This is just as good as anything you will find in Europe, Hands down! Absolutely beautiful! The staff were so friendly as well. My kids really enjoyed the whole experience as well! Walk on the paths to the water and don’t be surprised when you see dolphins about ten feet away feeding. The dolphins were the cherry on top of the whole experience! Must visit place when you’re in Florida.

Best attraction in Sarasota. We are so lucky to have this world class museum. Set on Sarasota bay with bucolic grounds. A must see!

I cant believe this grouping of museums and landscaped grounds are in Florida. A magnificent day spent wandering from kitsch to classics. Not busy eitherDocents were helpful

Our first visit to Ringling, we had a lovely day. Enjoyed the art gallery museum and big tent collectionHad a lovely lunch at the visitor center. All the staff were very pleasant, the lady in gift shop was fun. Everyone wore masks so we felt very comfortable health wise.

WOW! A truly World Class Art Museum located in Sarasota, FL. The galleries and building are beautiful. The staff greeting you and the gallerys security men and women are friendly, professional and kind. The museums holdings are spectacular! Tremendous 1400s -1600s Italian paintings. Gorgeous Flemish paintings from the 1500s, including Rembrandts. Titans from Italy and French and English galleries. Across the David (Michelangelo) bridge, one gets to a superb Asian collection with Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean holdings. Then more European with a Rococo studio and late French paintings. There are a number of Abstracts and Modernism work. All in all, this musuem may suffer from its Ringling name. Not circus at all, this museum reflects the vision and taste of John and Mabel Ringling as gifted collectors, with, like the Astors and the Vanderbilts and the Lodges and the Mellons, cash money in their pockets in the late 1800s and into the 20th Century with which to travel and buy real masterpieces from Europe. There is a separate museum for circus aficionados and the entire campus, including the home, is First-Tier in every way. This art musuem needs to be on your list if you love fine art. As an aside, the galleries themselves are works of art. The lighting is perfect as is the temperature. I have to give this treasure of a museum 10 Stars out of a possible top grade of five. Please visit if you can!

Weve really have been venturing out to spots other than food or drink during the Covid-19 and thought wed try the Ringling museum. It is absolutely so interesting. We did the house tour, the circus museum and part of the art museum. We were so intrigued by the entire estate that we bought a membership so we could go back and take friends/family with us. Absolutely worth the visit!

Great day here. I ranked it as 4 because not everything is labeled as to who the artwork was made by and because of how spread out the buildings were with unmarked entrances. They were very strict about the mask policy. Enjoyable examples of Renaissance art works but no show shopers or big names. Worth the visit.

I love it here. Ive been here many times, either for school or on a day where I have nothing else going on. The grounds are beautiful and its very peaceful. From the Art Museum & Circus Museum, to the Gardens and the Ca dZan, theres so much to see. Im always going to continue coming back here. This is definitely a place you should visit.

This museum is fantastic, the exhibits that they have are just beautiful. As well as the gardens. My best friend was in from Michigan and my husband and I took her there so that we could do a tour as well as visit the gardens. They are just immaculate especially when the flowers are in bloom. And my best friend being the photographer that she is had to snap a few photos. We thoroughly enjoyed our day there and would love to visit the place again soon. It is friendly for all different ages and has a multitude of different events that go on throughout the month.

Great place to spend the day and appreciate the history and arts.

Absolutely loved it! A must see in Sarasota. The art museum is stunning, from its gardens to the exposed art. The galleries are set up in a marverlous ambiance, it allows you to appreciate the art even more. Would definitely go back!

I LOVE this museum!! They have a great collection of permanent art, as well as a large amount of contemporary art that comes in and out. Staff is always super friendly and they offer great rates for students, teachers, and kids.

This by far was one of the best museums Ive seen! There are three different sections, the house, the art museum and the Ringling Museum. The miniatures were phenomenal! The house is under construction so only the first floor was open. Even Florida teachers get a discount!

On 10/1/20 a friend and I visited the Searing Gallery. What a pleasant surprise to meet John, the security guard in the Syd Soloman gallery. He is a wealth of knowledge and so engaging. John was well versed as a docent as well. This is why my membership is so valuable to me, always delighted.Keep up the good work.

Amazing place! Highly recommend wandering the grounds and taking photos. Gorgeous architecture. Free on Mondays.

If you want to see beautiful art, if you want take nice walk by the water, this is right place for you.Do you have kids? Take them with you, they have nice playground.

This was actually a pretty cool place to visit. I honestly didnt expect to actually enjoy myself while visiting this place as it is classified as a museum, however, there is enough to see to keep just about anyone interested. The large Recreation of the Ringling Circus attraction is just amazing and how much work was put into actually setting up for a show for these people. Combine that with all the acts and everything else going on it really would have been a sight to see if they were still in business. They also have them on scene Art Museum which Im surprised was actually really well kept and a lot of different pictures to see. There is also the Ringling house that they used to live in, but we never went through that. It is surprisingly cheap for this type of venue being $25 for adults and $15 for children and to see the house that is an extra $5 on top of that. Otherwise it was a good time that we had there and I would definitely visit there again to see the house.

Awesome and interesting place to go and discover about locally and internationally history.Beautiful park to walk in, Circus museum etc

If you like art this is the place for you. Theres a variety of paintings, murals and sculptures to enjoy. The grounds around the buildings are very pleasant.

Very interesting if you are a circus fan. Consider buying the house tour ticket at entry so you dont have to walk all the way back to the house or get shooed away by the ladies inside. Beautiful grounds and art museum as well.

Visited mansion, cicus museum, and art museum with lunch at the Grill restaurant. All were wonderful!! Well maintained, knowledgeable and helpful staff. Super clean. Go if you get the chance!!!!!!

Me and my husband had a great time.

This place is amazing! You can seat inside look at the paintings or be outside walk different pathways.

Beautiful artwork displayed in a magnificent museum. My favorites were the HUGE Peter Paul Rubens paintings. There was so much to see! I didnt get over to the Circus Museum this time. The grounds are beautiful as is John Ringlings home. Next time, Im going to be there when they open, bring a picnic lunch and keep on looking, maybe even bring a book to read in the gardens.

Great place to spend the day. Amazing art collections! The entire area of the museum is breathtaking. And did I say Amazing view of the water?

If I could give 0 starts I would. I came to this place with my family, all of us are minors under the age of 21 but in college...the scenery was yes indeed beautiful, but as we were looking around and walking taking pictures the staff would always follow us and STARE...it came to the point to which we got uncomfortable...we were social distancing and all wearing masks properly. The staff was NOT nice. They were dry and short. Everywhere we went we got glares and looks. As we were exiting one of the building, some staff called over the security and told us to exit the building because we were “touching” artwork. Yet when we asked for proof (because we didn’t touch anything) they said nothing and told us to leave. Knowing that earlier that day, instead of nicely talking to us about wearing masks OUTSIDE where we were way over 6 feet from people, people weren’t even in sight. The officer was raising his voice and being rude, also taking off his mask while talking to use and nit keeping his distance. We were followed out...and treated like kids!!

I cant adequately describe how beautiful this property and location are. We had a wonderful time looking at the museum, playing on the playground, and walking around the entire area. I definitely look forward to the next time we visit!

Fantastic Museum and the miniatures of the circus is spectacular.

Absolutely beautiful museum and grounds. Amazing collection of artwork. This museum and the grounds are free on Mondays. It was busy but still had a lot of room to move around! Also only 5 dollars for students.

Loved the property...great artwork...learned a little more about the Ringling Brothers circus....views of the bay were very relaxing...Lastly all the staff was very friendly and helpful...

Had a wonderful day with our visiting friends for their first time. Some areas closed but still so much to enjoy .

Very cool museum and gorgeous grounds/residence

We learned a lot about circus as industry. Park around mansion is beautiful. And art museum is full of treasures. This place is a major Florida gem.

Awesome art museum. Plenty to look at. Well worth the stop.

Unbelievable collection of art; much history to learn or revisit as well! I would definitely return w fellow visitors if the opportunity presented itself

Gorgeous property with variety of museums to see including a mansion, and circus mueseum

Amazing experience. Its as if a European museum was transported to Floridas west coast, alongside the most American of exhibits - a massive miniature model of a travelling circus. Weve been coming to Sarasota for about 20 years and somehow never visited. A true hidden gem that needs to be seen to be believed.

Cant missed. Huge place full of history and entertainment.

Wonderful home and museum of John and Mable Ringling. Every child loves the circus. The museum is first class and features many original costumes and props from the days of the traveling circus. A thrill for the young and the young at heart. A must see day trip for circus lovers of all ages. Plenty of parking for everyone. The best part is you are free to wander the expansive grounds and enjoy the home and museum at your own pace.

I love this place. I buy the tickets only here in Sarasota for the 4 july weekend and we enjoyed every part of the tour.

I had such a pleasant and fun time exploring the ringling! I felt the inner kid in me come out! There’s something for both adults and kids alike. I recommend arriving early so you have plenty of time to explore all buildings and the gorgeous grounds. The Mable house is a must see too!

If you havent checked this place out you need to. its full of great art and gardens its a interesting place for everyone.

Superb museum. I really recommend this visit, a list see in Sarasota

Lovely place, its not very busy which is one of my favorite things about it! Its rare in Florida to find a place this beautiful thats not crawling with people. This place somehow manages to do it while being a beautiful place to visit. The art collection is expansive and the grounds are well kept. They have friendly staff and a team that will drive you around outside. I will be back to visit the mansion next to the water, I only got to see the art museum this time!

What a great museum! How well done and interesting it all is when you see how much it took to move that many people and animals by train. Very informative. Very intriguing. Such a fantastic collection. We visited and the 2nd building was under restoration so we were not able to see that section sadly. I only gave 4 out of 5 because they did not discount the ticket now that the 2nd circus building is closed so if you really want your dollars worth and are able to visit another time, unlike us passing through under time constraints, make sure youre able to go once its completed!! Great for all ages.

A great experience for a journey into the world of the Greatest Show On Earth . More than worth the price of admission. Excellent food on the premises, a great day trip.

Not a fan of the reno of the old (original) circus museum. Ringling removed 2 favorites---the 2 films. One is The Greatest Show On Earth, based on a fictional storyline using Ringling Bros Circus as the backdrop for the story. The late actors Charleton Heston, Cornell Wilde, Betty Hutton and Jimmy Stewart in Clown-face, made this a fun film to watch. The other film was a PBS documentary about Ca DZan John & Mabels Winter residence on Sarasota Bay. Now neither is being shown. I wish they had thought to turn a room into a small theater and show some of the scattered films about the circus/circuses there---the ones strewn in odd cubbyholes. The gift shop at the main bldg no longer has/or sells the Ca DZan doc, and the we didnt see TGSOE film offered anymore either. Guess its too old for the museum.

House was fantastic. History museum was awesome. Art museum was just ok.

Amazing museum, exhibits and artwork.. The model circus is absolutely incredible. John Ringling left an amazing gift and legacy for the State of Florida. The Ringling Museum is a treasure and we should feel lucky its part of our community.

Absolutely amazing ......plan for all day....i couldnt see it all in 2 hours

Beautiful place! If you ever grew up going to the circus then this place brings back those memories. Beautiful house and gardens and art museum!

I absolutely loved this place!!!! I seriously felt such amazement at the architecture and gardens!

Had a great time for almost 2hrs until one male employee was beyond rude to me and went to threaten me in front of my daughter because my purse slid under my armpit. After the way the guy treated me my daughter didnt want to even stay. The guy even had enough nerve to make sure we were out of the art gallery. My daughter was having a great time too and that guy ruined it for her. First and probably last time I will ever drive that far to get talked like dirt. Waste of time and money over one guy who wanted to feel like a big man and treat a female with disrespect. Nice place they run there, real nice example to set to people.

My girlfriend and I love coming here. If youre a USF student its completely FREE, making it 10 times better. Some areas are closed due to covid, but thats not their fault. Not our first time coming and wont be our last.

If you are spending time in Sarasota, Florida. I highly recommend visiting the Ringling Museum. A great place to take the whole family a for a Day out. You will get to experience Great Art, Gardens and great exhibitions about the Circus. Be sure to give your self a lot of time at this awesome museum. There is a great restaurant that sells burgers, hotdogs and many other lunch items. Everyone in my family really enjoyed their visit. If you ever visited the Circus as a child. The Circus exhibitions will take you back to your childhood. The attention to detail is amazing. This Museum certainly rates five stars and more. I highly recommend visiting here on your visit to Sarasota, Florida.

A nice place to go with out of town guests. Florida teachers bring your teachers badge for a very affordable ticket! The art museum is also very impressive for this area.

Very well maintained and staff was very welcoming and friendly. The gardens are terrific and quiet large so give yourself time. We did not have enough time to see the museum but we will return.

I had too much fun at the Ringling... The art work is delightful to look at, but the gardens, the statues, the architecture of the buildings is really what is awe-inspiring. I did not want to leave and can not wait to return. It is a bit expensive if you do more than just the museum... I suggest looking into the membership prices if you have a family of 5. We do, and it was only 5 dollars more to get the year. Be ready to do a lot of walking. Although they had a study stream of shuttles, there was just too much to look at that we would have missed if we had taken one. It is a beautiful piece of history and has so much to offer.

Loved the whole experience.a great day out. Planned an hour, stayed 3

I didnt go inside per say but the grounds are really beutiful.

Beautiful park, I love to just go and walk around under the banjan trees and the rose garden. Everything is so well kept and beautiful even if you dont go to the museum, its definitely worth to stroll around for a n hour or so while you are in Sarasota.

Very interesting place. We didnt get to do everything as we went on the free art museum day so planning to go back and make a day of it. Staff was very friendly. My moms ankle was bothering her and they have free loaner wheelchairs everywhere. The photo below is from the Barnum garden when a tree grew around one of the statues.

Awesome...unbelievable art.

We preferred to play ground the museum and a restaurant with the coffee shop but the art experience was also very fun.

Took the kids here and was amazed by the plethora of art it offered. Being Catholic, it made our trip more faith-based because of all the wonderful art related to the Bible. The kids get to run around in the park outside and admire the sculptures etc. Worth the visit.

The Ringling Museum of Art is free on Mondays (thanks to John Ringling himself specifying that before his death) or $25 the rest of the week (including the circus museum.) Make sure to allow 5+ hours if you are going to enjoy the museums and grounds. Beautiful art literally hundreds of years old and collected by John Ringling himself from all over the world. Tours are given on the top of every hour near the main entrance which are quite interesting! Each painting and sculpture has a detailed description on laminated sheets in the room and near the painting /sculpture itself. This place will make you appreciate art and leave you in awe!

Breathtaking home, exhibits and artwork museum, so grateful for John to be able to see it . The model circus is absolutely incredible As is everything in that building . John Ringling left an amazing gift and legacy for children and adults from every age . The Ringling Museum is a treasure and I feel extremely lucky that I get to share it with my children as I was a child growing up to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus and every time I felt “ it was the BEST SHOW ON EARTH” I wish that it was still existed but I understand there are so many different views if anyone knew about the history they might take a second look my dad’s quote is “” thoughts aren’t facts “”that’s exactly the case when they close down the circus missing you every year grateful to feel close to it again walking through the exbits and learning of the life’s of John and Mable make me wish I knew them personally truly a blessing

Gorgeous grounds and amazing collection of baroque paintings including the monumental paintings of Peter Paul Rubens

Nice place to visit with family,or celebrating wedding ceremony

I love the European art here back to the 14th century. Excellent bronzes, such as the elephant pictured. The inner courtyard is massive and beautiful, reminding me of ancient Roman villas Herculaneum. Yet, the design, attention to detail, and public programs are not up to the same level of the Getty Villa Los Angeles, California.

My daughter took her boyfriend and his son to this museum for the first time today to experience this wonderful collection and their experience was phenomenally awful. Ive taken my children to museums all over the country and the rudeness they experienced was a first in any museum. The employees were extremely rude. The employees were overbearing and had a horrible attitude. They had an employee follow them through the museum (when they know how to act and have the child on their hip). If young parents and well behaved children are not welcome, it should be publicly discouraged.