Slice of Americana - Carnivals, Circuses, Midways - Step back in time to the days of the traveling shows across America. The international Independent Showmen's Museum is a uniquely different museum of 54,000 square feet, filled with fun and memories. Our guided tour will highlight the history of the American carnivals, circuses, freak shows (physically deformed), girlie shows, and other gems of Americana. There was the world of the midway with the games of chance to separate the carny-goers from their money, the Tilt-a-Whirl, corndogs, and more. Today corporations own the shows, not the eccentric carny families of the 1930s and 1940s.
Gibsonton (also called Gibtown) was the winter home for the people who worked and performed in the carnivals, circuses, and midways. The towns around Tampa and Sarasota were dotted with these types of entertainment, and were an influence on American culture. From the small theater troupes and medicine shows to the large circuses, the Showmen's Museum features it all.