Roll up, roll up, to the newest hotel in town! Sarasota, located on Florida’s Gulf Coast, welcomed Cirque St. Armands Beachside in March 2025; a property that celebrates the destination’s rich circus heritage and provides the perfect base to explore the Circus Capital of the World.
In 1927 the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (yes, the one from The Greatest Showman), the biggest touring circus at the time, moved its winter quarters to Sarasota where it became the largest attraction in the state in the 1930s and 40s.
John Ringling spent much of his personal wealth in Sarasota, purchasing art as well as commissioning the beautiful Ca’ d’Zan for him and his wife, leading Sarasota to become the home of Florida’s official state art museum: The Ringling. Paying homage to this heritage, key parts of the Ringling are the Historic Circus Galleries and the Circus Museum in the Tibbals Learning Center – a must visit for any cultural traveller.
With a vast, rotating collection of circus memorabilia as well as an exhibition on The Greatest Show On Earth, The Ringling intended to continue the story of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Also, home to the World’s Largest Circus Model, the historically accurate rendition of the Howard Bros. Circus Model consists of more than 42,000 pieces and demonstrates the logistical engineering required to move a ‘tented city’ on a regular basis.
Those looking to see a circus show itself, can head over to the Circus Arts Conservatory where Circus Sarasota puts on a world-class performance with trapeze artists, clowns, acrobatics and other fantastic acts. The Circus Arts Conservatory also offers the opportunity for travellers to live out their dreams of running away to the circus, even if it is just for a couple of hours. With sessions for all ages and skill levels, it is the perfect place to learn some souvenir party tricks.
Cirque St. Armands Beachside
Cirque St. Armands Beachside, Opal Collection’s newest addition in Sarasota, opened in March this year and pays homage to the county’s history with a dedicated concierge known as the ‘ringmaster’ while incorporating heavy drapery, striped textiles, vintage clown posters, and art deco elements to make this circus inspired hotel as chic as it is whimsical. Ringside, the hotel’s signature restaurant, combines bold flavours and Gulf Coast seafood favourites with signature drinks like the Blueberry Fog or the Cold Rush, a whiskey sour reimagined with honey and bee pollen. With access to both public and private stretch of beach on the doorstep, this hotel has all the necessary amenities for Floridian holiday.
For more information on Sarasota County visit www.VisitSarasota.com
America As You Like It (www.americaasyoulikeit.com / 020 8742 8299) has a seven night holiday to Sarasota from £1610 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights on Virgin from Heathrow to Tampa, seven days fully inclusive car hire and seven nights room only at the Cirque St Armands.
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