Between 1884 and 1912, the
Ringling Brothers' Circus
kept winter quarters in
BARABOO
, thirty miles northwest of Madison. The
Circus World Museum
, 426 Water St, successfully recaptures the pre-TV glory days of big-top history, via an enormous collection of memorabilia and daily performances including an old-time circus show that is both tawdry (elephants with bows on their tails do leg kicks to
New York, New York
) and irresistible (mid-July and Aug daily 9am-9pm, $11.95, with shows at 11am, 3pm and 7.30pm; May- early July daily 9am-6pm, same schedule, without 7.30pm show; Sept-April Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm museum only, no shows; $5-15, varies with season;
). Every summer, usually in the first half of July, 75 meticulously restored circus wagons set out on a four-day rail journey through small-town Wisconsin and Illinois, culminating in a horse-drawn parade through downtown Milwaukee - an unbeatable extravaganza of Americana. Built in 1915 and modeled after the grand opera house at Versailles, the
Al Ringling Theatre
(summer tours, noon Thurs-Sun; $3;
) in the town center is one of America's prettiest small playhouses.
Baraboo itself is calmer, quieter and more affordable than nearby Wisconsin Dells. The elegant
Victorian Gollmar Guest House B&B
, 422 Third St (tel 608/356-9432,
; $75-100), plays up the fact that it was once home to a circus family. More basic
rooms
are at the
Spinning Wheel
, 809 Eighth St (tel 608/356-3933; $35-50).
Kristina's Family Restaurant
at 506 W Pine (Hwy-12) (tel 608/355-9213), serves low-cost
meals
. Baraboo's
visitor center
is at the intersection of highways 12, 33 and 136 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm; tel 608/356-8333 or 1-800/227-2266,
).
