St. Armands Circle

Famed for its shops and eateries,

St. Armands is a fun stroll

In the center of St. Armands is the Circle Hall of Fame, an outdoor walkway of plaques honoring circus stars with ties to Sarasota. Both Dolly and her father, Lou, the famous Ringling clown, are celebrated in the Circle Hall of Fame.

Myakka River State Park

'Old Florida at its best'

On Mother's Day, Dolly Jacobs and her extended circus family will treat her mom, Jean, to a day at Myakka River State Park, where the Myakka River runs through 57 square miles of wetlands, prairies and woodlands. "It's one of my favorite places to go, old Florida at its best," she says. (For a taste of old Florida, Dolly likes the Old Packinghouse Cafe, a fun dive with live music six days a week housed in an old celery packinghouse. Go to

oldpackinghousecafe.com.)

If you go: The park is just outside Sarasota, on Highway 72, 9 miles east of Interstate 75. Go to myakkariver.org.

Circus Sarasota

Keeping her

heritage alive

Dolly and her husband, fellow aerialist Pedro Reis, founded Circus Sarasota in 1997. The nonprofit group hosts international circus stars for performances in February and also produces summer shows at the historic Asolo Theater. From June 22 to July 31, Dolly will perform along with other circus acts in "Grandma and Friends" at the Asolo. For information, go to ringling.org. The circus is just one of the celebrated art forms in Sarasota - the city has its own professional opera, symphony and ballet companies. (For a glimpse of some of Dolly's spangled circus costumes, check out the Sarasota airport, where a temporary exhibit is now on display.)

Siesta Key beach

Fun in the sun

When circus stars relax, they get "away from manmade things," Dolly says. She loves fishing and going to the beach. Sarasota's Siesta Key beach was named America's No. 2 beach in 2010 by Dr. Beach.

Ringling Museum

A mansion and more

John Ringling (1866-1936) was one of the five brothers who started the Ringling Bros. Circus in 1884. He and his wife, Mable, began wintering in Sarasota and bought 20 acres of waterfront land in 1911. By the 1920s, Ringling owned about a quarter of the land in town. He wanted to make Sarasota a resort to rival Palm Beach. The Depression busted his big development dream - but not his passion for art and the circus. Today, the Ringling Museum of Art is many museums - it includes John and Mable Ringling's mansion, Ca d'Zan, plus a stellar art museum (operated by Florida State University), a circus museum and lush gardens. The circus museum is two buildings: One houses the world's largest miniature circus, a replica of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1919 to 1938. It is interesting - but it really makes you wonder about its creator, Howard Tibbals, and how much time he had on his hands. The other circus museum is full of circus props: wagons, a cannon, sideshow banners and Ringling's private rail car. You could easily spend three or four happy hours exploring the museums and Ca d'Zan, then another hour relaxing and admiring the beauty of Sarasota Bay from the terrace of Ca d'Zan. The museum's sit-down restaurant, Treviso, serves particularly good and fresh food. Try the Parmesan truffle fries, $5.

If you go: Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $25 general admission. On Mondays, the Museum of Art is free. See ringling.org for more or call (941) 351-1660.