Photo by Bill Johnsen courtesy Baraboo Chamber of Commerce
Circus World clowns Steve & Ryan
Circus World clowns Steve & Ryan
If you grew up in Milwaukee during the last half of the 20th Century, chances are that you witnessed at least once The Great Circus Parade. From 1963 to 2003 the cavalcade caromed down Wisconsin Avenue 30 times, an assemblage of horse-drawn antique circus wagons, stilt-walkers, clowns, marching bands and whatnot that always attracted tens of thousands of onlookers.
While the parade may be a thing of the past, the circus regalia is alive, well and on permanent display a scant two hours northwest of Milwaukee at the Circus World Museum in the Sauk County community of Baraboo. Once the winter home of the traveling Ringling Brothers Circus and the starting point for every Great Circus Parade in recent memory, Baraboo has kept the moniker “Circus City” and wears it proudly for its 13,000 residents as well as worldwide visitors and circus fans alike.
Photo by Carla Minsky courtesy Baraboo Chamber of Commerce
Driftless Glen Distillery
Driftless Glen Distillery
At first glance, Baraboo resembles any other Midwest county seat, with most of the action focused around the downtown Courthouse Square. Ringed with specialty merchants, restaurants and tasting rooms for local breweries, wineries and the Driftless Glen Distillery, the square is anchored on the north side by the recently refurbished Al. Ringling Theatre, a historic old vaudeville palace that is home to local arts groups and features national performers.
|
|
But the theater isn’t the only thing Albert Ringling left behind. The Ringling Mansion, the circus owner’s former home, was originally destined to become a museum, which it still is in a very real way. But during renovation two years ago workers found a wooden box under the floorboards that contained a secret beer recipe for Ringling’s own specialty brand, which set a new course for the property. Now open to the public, the Al. Ringling Brewing Co. boasts a rotating taplist of 19 beers brewed onsite, including the Ringling Original, a pre-Prohibition-style ale of 3.8% ABV with a blend of fruit and spice notes blended with bread and yeasty flavors.
Baraboo’s real draw, of course, is the Circus World Museum complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places and run by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Open March 20 through September 29, the complex includes seven large buildings filled with memorabilia, including the historic circus wagons that traveled the streets of Milwaukee and earlier visited many small communities and rural areas across the country to announce that the circus was coming to town.
Greatest Show on Earth
Other exhibits showcase the work and personal lives of the Ringling Brothers, other Wisconsin-based circuses, famous animal trainers, street parades, circus trains, menageries, side show attractions, clowns, logistics, specialized equipment and circus wagon construction, a colossal miniature circus, circus wagon restoration, movie props from Cecil B. DeMille’s 1952 film The Greatest Show on Earth, and much more. During the summer months, all that is augmented by regular circus performances on the grounds and a circus parade around Baraboo’s Courthouse Square.
Photo by Yenti Eilertson courtesy Baraboo Chamber of Commerce
Devil's Lake State Park
Devil's Lake State Park
After that much excitement you may need a place to cool down, and one the best places anywhere is Devil’s Lake State Park, located just eight miles south of the city. A preferred destination for campers, hikers, climbers and water sport enthusiasts, Devil’s Lake has appeared on multiple “best of” lists as Wisconsin’s best state park.
Located on the state’s Ice Age Trail, the park offers magnificent views from the 500-foot quartzite cliffs that surround the 360-acre deep-water lake. The lake has no obvious inlets or outlets, which helps give it its unique character. The name is thought to be a misinterpretation of the Ho-Chunk word Te Wakacakra, which better translates to “Sacred Lake” or “Spirit Lake.” And if that’s not enough, Tumbled Rocks Brewery & Kitchen offers food and craft-brewed libations right outside the park’s north entrance.
But whatever you call it, Devil’s Lake is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon or weekend, especially after all the circus hubbub subsides.
Photo by Bill Johnsen courtesy Baraboo Chamber of Commerce
Al. Ringling Theatre in Baraboo
Al. Ringling Theatre in Baraboo
