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Circus Memories!

Ringling Bros. Circus

Some of my earliest memories are of my Dad taking me to the Circus. I think a lot of us have some kind of fond memory of the Circus. My husband took his daughter to the Circus every year until she was in her mid-twenties. When we were first married, we went to the Circus together and even took my Mom when she was in her eighties. To me, it has always been an annual event and a lot of fun!

After operating for over 100 years, unfortunately, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has closed down. The attendance at the circus had been dwindling for several years. Their last performance was on May 21, 2017.

There is a place where the Ringling Bros. Circus comes to life, The Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

The Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin

We visited the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin several years ago. It’s a wonderful place with lots of historical information about the Ringling family and the start of Ringling Bros. World’s Greatest Shows. The museum has Circus-related artifacts and exhibits. In the Summertime, they still have live Circus performances! The museum also has a collection of 260 circus wagons!

The Ringling Brothers

The Ringling Brothers, 7 in all, were sons of a German immigrant, August Frederick Rungeling who changed his name to Ringling when he arrived in America. They moved to Baraboo, Wisconsin in 1875. The Ringling Bros. “World’s Greatest Shows” started in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Five of the seven brothers performed skits and juggling routines in Town Halls all around the state of Wisconsin. Their first show was 11/27/1882 in Mazomanie, Wisconsin and they called this the “Ringling Bros. Variety Performance”. In 1884, they expanded their acts into a one-ring show. The show added a trick horse and bear by the end of the season. The Circus started traveling by trains in 1888. In 1907 Ringling Bros. acquired the Barnum & Bailey Circus and operated the 2 separately until 1919 when they merged and “Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus” was born. At this time, only two Brothers remained, Charles and John. They started to spend winters in Sarasota, Florida. By 1927, John had moved the Circus headquarters to Sarasota, Florida. On Christmas day, 1927, the winter quarters opened it’s doors to visitors. Families could see Circus rehearsals as well as animals from all over the world.

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Hiwassee Lake and Dam

Nantahala National Forest and River

A while ago, we took a drive to Murphy, North Carolina in Cherokee County. We were looking for interesting places to camp that weren’t too far from home. The drive took us through the Nantahala National Forest and along the Nantahala River. This area is near the Great Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina. The word, “Nantahala” is a Cherokee word meaning “Land of the Noonday Sun”. It’s a very beautiful part of our state! The Nantahala River is a favorite place for Whitewater Rafters, Canoeists, and Kayakers. I haven’t tried whitewater rafting but I think it would be fun! There were many places to rent a raft along our route.

Nantahala Outdoor Center-NOC

Along the Highway, we came upon this area, which had rafting centers(Nantahala Outdoor Center), zip lines, outdoor gear stores and more! It’s not far from Bryson City, North Carolina. We only stopped to take photos, but if you are into rafting, this is the place to be!

Nantahala River Rapids

We drove through the town of Murphy, North Carolina. It looked like a cute little town. I spotted some cool looking restaurants that we will have to try the next time we are there. We looked on Trip Advisor for “things to do” in Murphy and we found the Hiwassee Dam.