Museum of the Circus Many Sarasotans earned international acclaim as circus artists, and their personal mementos are on display in the circus museum, including clowns Lou Jacobs, Otto Griebling and Emmett Kelly; animal trainers Clyde Beatty and Gunther Gebel-Williams; the Zacchini Human Cannonballs; and the famous Wallenda highwire-walking family.
St. Martha's Catholic Church Dubbed "the church that the circus built," St. Martha's chapel was funded by charity circus performances. Many circus families remain active at St. Martha's, which now boasts authentic circus wagon wheels as part of its official religious décor.
Winter Quarters The Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus's winter quarters boosted tourism for Sarasota, and reaped a great deal of publicity for the state of Florida. By 1940, the winter quarters in Sarasota drew 100,000 visitors in one season, making it one of Florida's earliest and most heavily visited tourist attractions.
Slideshows
Watch fun slideshows on people past and present who have contributed to Sarasota's circus
heritage, and the animals and props that made their own contributions.
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Circus People
Circus Animals and Equipment