Strap the clown shoes on the kids and head to circus central in Sarasota, Florida. A long time ago, the Greatest Show on Earth headed out by rails around the country to show off Jumbo the Elephant, Emmett Kelly the clown and trapeze artists galore. But the circus train always managed to find its way back to the sleepy, little, Florida town that is home to everything circus-related.

The Ringling Museum of the Circus in Sarasota opened 60 years ago and has been thrilling visitors ever since. What began as a simple collection of circus memorabilia has expanded to include such must-see attractions as the "World's Largest Miniature Circus," (not to be confused with the world's smallest big-screen TV), and a real highlight: the world's largest collection of circus posters. A trip to the Ringling Museum of the Circus is a trip to a museum that kids will actually love. The circus really was the Greatest Show on Earth before the arrival of radio, the movies, television and the Internet. Those circus posters are about as low-tech in terms of advertising as it gets, but compared to the incessant pop-up Internet ads and TV commercials, those circus posters are the equivalent of the fine art.

Unless you suffer from coulrophobia, the Ringling Museum of the Circus is an absolute delight. What is coulrophobia? The bane of the Ringling Museum of the Circus and circuses around the world: fear of clowns. But don't despair; the museum is devoted to all things having to do with the circus, and clowns are but one part of this amazing destination site. Traveling to Sarasota is like walking back into time when every kid looked forward to the day the circus came to town. It reminds parents of a certain sense of innocence and nostalgia.