Take Me to The Circus!
Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages! May I focus your attention on the small, but fabulous Circus City!
When you think of the big top, for many people, images of exotic animals and daring acts fill our minds. Our curiosities are pushed to the max and it becomes nearly impossible to take our eyes off of the show. For a few hours, we are privileged enough to see real life people performing seemingly superhero feats of strength, agility, and high skill. During the prime of the circus, which was largely from the late 1800s up until the mid 2010s, performers would spend months touring the country, but during the offseason, where did they go? For decades, these performers wintered and headquartered in the town of Peru, Indiana. Situated in north central Indiana, this unlikely town of only about 11,000 would be known as the circus capital of the world.
While the circus scene is practically a shadow of its former self, in Peru, Indiana, the circus lives on. Every year the town has its annual Circus City Festival in July. There is also the International Circus Hall of Fame as well as the Circus City Museum which are well worth the visit and you can visit either of these outside of the festival time frame.
So, without further ado, I present to you the 3 best circus things to do in Peru, Indiana.
International Circus Hall of Fame
While I first found out about the circus here from my sister and brother-in-law last year (thanks!), it wasn't until recently that I discovered the hall of fame while scouring Google Maps.
I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I knew that if we were attending the circus, we'd also have to make a stop here.
How to get there
Sitting just east of the town and right along the bank of the Mississinewa River, you'll drive down the very quiet Circus Lane which dead ends into your destination.
3076 E. Circus Lane
Peru, Indiana 46970
Admission is very affordable at just $5 for adults, $2.50 for children under 12, and military are free.
It is only open from July 1st to October 1st, Wednesday through Saturday. The hours are 10a to 4p. They will also open in June by appointment only.
The Hall of Fame
Aside from going to a couple different circuses maybe 3 or 4 times total in my childhood, I probably haven't even thought of a circus in years. This is large in part due to the fact that the large and exotic animals that were once allowed, are no longer and it has practically shut down the industry. This is where the International Circus Hall of Fame takes over and preserves what could have become a distant memory.
You are greeted with circus wagons and a pair of large barns as you drive in to park. These aren't exactly showstoppers, but it gets better inside. I promise.
You'll start at the giftshop to pay (very friendly and informative workers) and your adventure begins inside the first barn. In years past, these 2 barns used to house wild animals such as elephants, bears, tigers, and hippos along with the wagons and equipment. Now they house what few artifacts remain of a once bustling industry.
As you walk through the various exhibits, you'll notice a strong influence of the circus industry within Hollywood movies. You'll also see a lot circus models scattered about. Easily the coolest one was of significant size and detail, however, they were working on getting the plexiglass up so we had to settle for taking a peak through the plastic tarp with permission, of course!
There is no shortage of posters, photos, artifacts, and history. You really could spend a considerable amount of time reading everything.
Towards the back of the barn is where a few of the nicer circus wagons are kept.
After you walk through the main barn area, you can veer off into a separate hallway to check out many of the famous circus performers including Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, and Roy Rogers who had spent time here during their traveling days.
In the second barn, you will find many more circus wagons. These are more modern and don't have as much ornate detail as the older ones tended to boast. They are also stuffed in the barn fairly tightly so it's relatively difficult to get around. Certainly not stroller friendly on this side.
There is a 3rd, much smaller open barn which houses a few more wagons. Apparently one of these was a very rare giraffe wagon which only 3 are known to still exist, but I'm unsure which one it is.
All in all a very worthy stop!
Circus City Museum
The museum resides inside the circus building in downtown Peru where the circus takes place. We were pretty much museumed out when we arrived here, but still made a walk through. It predominantly showcases the amateur circus, now in its 64th year, but it also goes beyond that with a variety of other displays and photos.
How to get There
154 N. Broadway Street
Peru, Indiana 46970
Parking is on the street and the museum is free!
Peru Amateur Circus
Downtown Peru, Indiana
Since first hearing about this from my sister, I've waited a full year to make this a reality and take the family. Our children were ecstatic about experiencing their first circus!
How to Get There
The circus is in the same building as the museum so the address is:
154 N. Broadway Street
Peru, Indiana 46970
This event is a really good value. They perform 10 shows over 9 days and the earlier you attend in the week, the cheaper it is. Because of Saturday commitments, work the following week, and wanting to hit the hall of fame on the same trip, our only option was opening night on Friday, also known as family night, which is general admission at only $5 per person. That's $5 per person for a 3 hour show! You probably won't find that anywhere else. Outside of family night, prices increase to $8-10 the next couple days before rising through the week and topping out at $18 per person. All of these are reserved seating, but make note that you will be sitting on standard plastic bleachers. Not super comfy, but you also aren't paying comfortable seat pricing.
The Show
The circus is performed by people 7 to 21 years old from Miami County, IN. There are many skill levels and acts so you should be entertained throughout the entire 3 hour show. For the snackers out there, concessions are also a bargain with most or all items only costing $1-3. Once again, you'd be hard pressed finding prices like this anywhere else.
Since we attended on family night, which is general admission, people started lining up about an hour before and were treated to a calliope which plays out front. The doors opened shortly after and everyone made their way to their seats. I'd highly recommend getting there at least an hour before for optimal seating as well as finding parking.
I have no idea how many weeks or months they practice beforehand, but regardless, they all did a fantastic job! From juggling, to the trapeze, balancing, tight rope, unicycle, and much more, you'll be amazed and astounded at their skilled acts!
The family had a great time at the circus along with the museum and hall of fame. We truly spent a day at the circus and I don't think anyone here turned into a clown, ha!
For those who attend later in the week, there is a festival in Peru with rides and general fair activities/food. The event culminates with a real live circus parade featuring live animals, clowns, and whatever else they have. It looks fun, but I couldn't make the schedule work this year.
Southside B & K
We had parking in front of the circus and wanted to keep it so after checking out the museum, we took a long walk several blocks down to get dinner. The lady at the museum recommended a couple places to us, but the one we were most interested in happened to be a bar so no one under 21...
At that point, we had eaten into our allotted time so we settled on hotdogs, again. This time at Southside B & K which meant a slightly further walk of about 0.6 miles total from where we parked. Nothing we couldn't handle.
Keeping up with the reasonable pricing of the day's activities, B & K followed suit and had a menu that won't blow the bank. No $5 hotdogs here!
It's a drive-in with hotdogs (and some other food options) so don't expect anything fancy, but it does get the job done and provide a full belly. Overall friendly service and the root beer is certainly above average quality so I'd recommend it as a budget friendly option.
How to Get There
256 S. Broadway Ave.
Peru, IN 46970
There you have it, a day in the 3 ring circus! The trip was well worth it and I'd highly recommend a day here in July. As they say in Peru, "May all of your days be circus days".
Useful Links
The International Circus Hall of Fame - https://circushalloffame.com/
The Peru Amateur Circus and Museum - https://www.perucircus.com/
Southside B & K - https://www.facebook.com/people/Southside-BK/100068702617203/
Do you want to explore more of Indiana? Learn about Indiana Dunes National Park here - https://www.thebackyardexplorer.com/blog/indianadunes
As always, B.E Adventurous!