Is There An Old Circus Town In Florida? (All The Details On This X-Files Featured Town)
If You’re A Fan Of The X Files Like Me And Have Heard About The Old Circus Town In Florida From The “Humbug” Episode, You Might Be Wondering Does It Still Exist And Can You Visit It?
As a huge fan of the X Files, when I moved to the central Florida area, one of my biggest exploration desires was to go find the old circus town that was featured in the season two episode, and although there’s not as much left of it as there used to be, there are still a few interesting pieces of this history you can see around town.
🎪 Is There An Old Circus Town In Florida?
The town of Gibsonton, Florida (also known as Gibtown, Showtown USA, or the Sideshow Capital of the World), was the place in the age of sideshows, circus’, and carnivals, that performers stayed in the off-season or even retired to.
Although that history is pretty far in the past now, Gibsonton (and much of this central-west coast) is still known for being the old Florida circus town.
How Was It Featured On The X Files
The X Files season 2 episode 20, Humbug, featured the town of Gibsonton, Florida, and was “visited” by Mulder and Scully due to the murder case of what was originally thought to be the Fiji Mermaid by Mulder.
Although none of the shows filming actually took place in Gibsonton, Florida, much of the towns history is talked about and the odd nature/behavior of the towns people is readily displayed in the episode.
What’s The Real History Of This Town
According to the X Files, Gibtown was first used as the off-season/retiring destination in the 1920s, but actual history of the town says that the famous performer couple, “the World’s Strangest Couple”, who made Gibsonton into the huge circus haven that it came to be, didn’t move here until the 1940s.
Sarasota, a little less than an hour south of Gibsonton, does have circus history dating back to the 1920s when the last remaining Ringling brother moved the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus empire south for the winter.
So technically, Gibsonton is not the only Florida town known for its circus history, but rather the whole central-west coast of the state.
🎠 Can You Still See Any Part Of This Old Circus Town In Florida?
Although there are a few areas with circus history in this part of Florida, Gibsonton was a special town because of specific zoning laws that were granted due to the residents who greatly contributed to the economy here.
In Gibsonton, residents were allowed to keep trailers, equipment, rides, and even exotic animals in their front yards, so driving through this central-west Florida town, you could obviously see the towns circus-ties.
The town is nothing like it used to be, but there are still a few places you can see a bit of this old circus history:
Showmen’s Museum
Although the towns circus history is not as visible as it used to be, one place you can visit to see a whole lot of circus history and memorabilia is the Showmen’s Museum in the north part of town.
The museum admission fee was a little high in my opinion, but it does have good ratings and even if you don’t go inside the museum, you can still see quite a bit on the grounds outside.
The day I visited the museum was closed, but the gate to the grounds was open so I was able to walk around, see a lot of old pieces, and take a bunch of photos.
Gibsonton Dr & Alafia St
I couldn’t find much information online before I visited Gibsonton about where to see some of this old circus history, other than the Showmen’s Museum, so I decided to drive around a little bit and see if there was anything else around.
I happened upon what looked like a junk yard on the northeast corner of Gibsonton Dr and Alafia St which contained quite a few pieces of old circus equipment.
The Giant Boot
To honor the towns famous performer couple, the 2 foot 6 inch tall Jeanie Smith known as “the Half Girl” and her husband the 7 foot 4 inch tall Al Tomaini known as “the Giant”, the people of Gibsonton came together to replace the deteriorated Giant Boot statue that Jeanie created as a memorial when Al died.
The boot is the size of Al’s actual 35-inch boots, and you can find the statue off of Tamiami Trail on the right side of the road when heading south (it will be right after you pass over the bridge and see the black fence).
Just Driving Through Neighborhoods
While a lot of the towns residents no longer have circus equipment in their front yards, when I was driving around, particularly in the Gibsonton Dr and Alafia St area, I still found a few interesting pieces sitting out in peoples yards.
This old pizza and pasta truck was one of the largest pieces, almost larger than the residents trailer, but I also saw some small rides and even an old spooky-looking hearse.
The Nearby Ringling Museum of Art
Since Sarasota was also home to a large circus performer population as well as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus winter center, you can check out The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and the Tibbals Learning Center & Circus Museum at The Ringling.
➡️ A somewhat nearby beach area (sort of in-between Tampa and Sarasota) that I highly recommend visiting for beautiful white sand, delicious organic Mexican food, and amazing colorful sunsets is Anna Maria Island
🔁 Sum Up: Old Circus Town In Florida
Although Gibsonton, Florida is not quite what it used to be, there are still a few ways you can see some of the old circus history of this town from the Showmen’s Museum, the junk yard on Gibsonton Dr, the Giant Boot, or just driving around town. My reason for visiting was the feature this show got on the X Files, and what I saw did not disappoint as it brought my favorite show to life.
