Located on a beautiful 66-acre water-front estate on Sarasota Bay, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was established in 1927 and is recognized as the official State Art Museum of Florida. The Museum of Art includes 21 galleries of European paintings, Sculptures, Cypriot antiquities, Asian Art, American paintings, and contemporary art, including a variety of traveling exhibitions throughout the year.

The spralling tree-lined estate includes the spectacular Cà d'Zan ("House of John"), a waterfront mansion restored in 2002. The Circus Museum displays the world's largest miniature circus, costumes, wagons, performance equipment, and other artifacts chronicling the history of the Circus. The estate also features Mable Ringling’s Rose Garden, started in 1913, as well as the beautifully landscaped grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay.

The Museum offers many cultural and educational programs, including courtyard concerts, "Third Thursday" socials on Cà d’Zan's terrace, lectures, workshops, children’s programs, and public tours. The Museum also houses an art conservation laboratory, a 65,000 volume art library, and archives. Two restaurants and a gift shop are also located on the grounds.

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