Sarasota, Florida: where the circus comes to town Ca d'Zan, once home to 'Circus King" John Ringling In its heyday at the turn of the 20th century, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus toured America in a 100-car train carrying hundreds of animals. In winter the self-billed "Greatest Show on Earth" headed south to Sarasota, where the mild climate and grassy savannahs suited the performers and their (mainly) African menagerie equally well. Circus folk spread across several of Sarasota's seven keys and nearby barrier islands, eventually turning the area into the major dance, circus training and performance centre that it remains. Sarasota still has a resident circus and a training programme for schoolchildren; and throughout the year, most American and international circus companies do a Sarasota season. Time for us to go in search of John Ringling, the larger-than-life impresario who started it all. We found him, in spirit at least, at the Ringling Museums, a three-attraction complex on 66 banyan-shaded acres. When I was a child, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus made me anxious. There was just too much to see all at once in its famous three rings; would I miss the best clowns in the first ring while I tried to decide between the dancing elephants or the man on the flying trapeze in the other two? The triumvirate of attractions that makes up the Ringling Museums can overwhelm in much the same way, so it's probably a good idea to spread your visit over a few days. To begin, we chose Ca d'Zan ("John's House"), Ringling's love letter to his bride. Married late in life, he was besotted with his wife, Mable . Between 1924 and 1929, he poured millions into building a magnificent house and an art museum for her. Ca d'Zan, a Venetian-Gothic-style palazzo meant to resemble the 14th-century Doge's Palace, has the whole of Sarasota Bay as its Grand Canal. Sarasota's well-heeled outdoor dining Its gobsmacking luxury is matched by its outrageous theatricality. There's an enormous bath carved from a single block of golden Siena marble, a set of baroque thrones that once belonged to the Gilded Age rail tycoon George Jay Gould, a huge crystal chandelier from the original Waldorf Astoria and a "tap room" brought in its entirety from a St Louis restaurant. Many of the rooms have coffered ceilings made of local pecky cypress covered with pictures and elaborate decoration. I had to crane my neck to study Dancers of the Nations, the suite of pictures on the ballroom ceiling. They looked like the pictures on the fire curtain of a Broadway theatre. So I wasn't surprised when I learnt later that they were painted by a Ziegfeld scene painter. Alongside the house, Ringling built a museum - now the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art - to house the works of Rubens, Titian, Tintoretto, Van Dyke, El Greco, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Velázquez, Veronese, Tiepolo and their contemporaries that he and Mabel bought. It's a head-spinning collection, and I'm embarrassed to say that after a few galleries I felt poleaxed by fine art. The Circus Museum, the third attraction, was such a creative expression of another man's obsession that it gave us just the lift we needed. The Howard Bros Circus Model is the world's largest model of its kind. It took one man, Howard C Tibbals, 50 years to make the 42,000-piece model of the Ringling Circus circa 1928. From the arrival of the circus train through the set-up to the performance under the Big Top, every one of the 1,300 miniature performers, roustabouts and punters and the 800 animals has its own personality, wardrobe, props and even plates of food. Tibbals, now in his late seventies, is still adding to it and donated more than $10.5 million for the building that houses it. Now, here's the thing - I thought I didn't really like the circus, but we spent several hours peering into the 3,800sq ft model and I couldn't stop smiling the whole time. Legacy of an obsession with Dali It must have been love at first sight when, shortly before their wedding, Eleanor and A Reynolds Morse, a wealthy Midwestern couple, attended a touring Salvador Dalí exhibition. It ignited a passion that lasted more than 40 years of collecting, patronage and friendship with Dalí and his wife, Gala. Dalí museum in Florida Their legacy is one of the more surprising attractions we discovered on the Florida Gulf Coast. The Salvador Dalí Museum in St Petersburg, 45 minutes north of Sarasota, houses the Morse collection, the largest assembly of Dalí"s work outside his own museum in Figueres, Spain. We toured the museum with Gail Appel, an expert on the artist. She was particularly good at pointing out Dalí"s sexual fixations and peculiar marital arrangements, so we gathered quite an audience as we went along. Highlights of the collection included two major works, The Hallucinogenic Toreador and The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. The museum building alone is worth the trip up the interstate. Yann Weymouth, the architect, incorporated several of Dalí"s signature obsessions: a helical staircase that spirals toward the egg-shaped glass roof like a strand of DNA, and the Enigma, an off-kilter geodesic dome that fractures the St Petersburg waterfront into hundreds of separate views. Book a tour with a museum "docent" (volunteer) to bring it all back together. The Salvador Dalí Museum (1 Dalí Blvd, St Petersburg; 001 727 823 3767, thedali.org; $21/£14). Check the website for hours, which vary. Public docent tours on the half-hour throughout the day. Private docent tours for one to nine people, $100/£66. For a memorable tour through the ins and outs of Dalí"s obsessions, ask for Gail Appel. Sarasota essentials There are no direct flights to Sarasota from London, but Delta (0871 221 1222; delta.com) operates a one-stop service through Atlanta from Heathrow from £639 return. Alternatively, British Airways (0844 493 0787; britishairways.com) has fly-drive packages to Tampa (40 minutes away) from Gatwick from £981 return. Virgin Holidays (0844 557 4321; virgin holidays.co.uk) offers a seven-night villa holiday package to Sarasota from £866 per person for two adults and one child, including return economy flight, self-catering and car hire. Don't overlook Burns Court Historic District, a maze of streets just south of downtown Sarasota with pastel-coloured cottages, an antiques centre and several restaurants. It's named after the developer who built Ca d'Zan. Most hotels have in-room cooking facilities of some kind, which is worth considering when comparing accommodation prices. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (001 941 359 5700; ringling.org; $25/£17) is open every day except Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, 10am to 5pm. Mable Ringling Museum of Art La Quinta Inn & Suites Reliable chain with views of Sarasota Bay and Long Boat Key. No frills but handy for the Ringling Museums (941 953 4322; lq.com; from $79/£53). The Ringling Beach House Directly across from Siesta Key Beach, a pink stucco hacienda once owned by the Ringling family. Two and three bedroom suites all have kitchens (941 349 1236; siestakeysuites.com; from $160/£110 per night; from $770/£510 per week). Lido Beach Resort Modern high-rise overlooking beachside pool. The better rooms have cooking facilities (941 388 2161; lidobeachresort.com; seasonal rates from $349/£230 per night). Drunken Poet Café Good-quality, city centre Thai and sushi bar. Dishes stir-fried with Thai sweet basil are recommended (941 955 8404; drunkenpoetsarasota.com). Owen's Fish Camp Named after Sarasota, which began life as Owen Burns" Fish Camp, this funky place in historic Burns Court could have posed for a Popeye movie. Fish and shellfish in an Eastern Seaboard style (941 951 6936; owensfishcamp.com). Moore's Stone Crab Restaurant Boisterous, old-fashioned and popular place serving fresh fish, shrimp, crab and lobster. No reservations, but expect to pay for quality and enormous portions (941 383 1748; stonecrab.cc).