GIBTOWN, USA: Inside Florida’s Legendary Sideshow Town

👉 SUBSCRIBE:    / @traveltipsadam   🔔 Hit the bell — to see all our latest content. Gibsonton, Florida — better known as Gibtown or Showtown U.S.A. — has one of the most unusual histories of any community in America. For generations, circus workers, carnival operators, magicians and sideshow performers came here to spend the off-season, and many eventually made Gibsonton their permanent home. In this video, we explore that history through the people who actually lived and worked in the carnival world. We visit the Showtown Bar, a longtime gathering place for show people, and the International Independent Showmen’s Museum, an incredible collection dedicated to preserving the history of American carnivals and traveling shows. Along the way, you’ll meet and hear about some unforgettable figures from Gibtown history: Lee Stevens — owner of Baboon Lagoon, a classic traveling sideshow attraction. Rick Robinson, better known as Tweedle Die — a circus and sideshow performer who also worked with the legendary World of Wonders show. Grady Stiles III — the son of Grady Stiles Jr., the famous sideshow performer billed as “Lobster Boy,” and part of one of the best-known families in sideshow history. Ward Hall — the legendary “King of the Sideshows,” a magician, showman and longtime owner of the World of Wonders traveling sideshow. Al Tomaini — the towering sideshow performer known as “The Giant.” He and his wife Jeanie became important members of the Gibsonton community, operating Giant’s Camp while Al also served as fire chief and helped support the growing town. Jeanie Tomaini — Al’s wife, born without legs and billed during her performing career as “The Half Girl.” Together, Al and Jeanie became one of Gibtown’s best-known couples. Jóhann K. Pétursson, the “Viking Giant” — an Icelandic giant and circus performer whose enormous costume, boots and other memorabilia are preserved at the Carnival Museum. Percilla Bejano, known professionally as the “Monkey Girl” — a longtime sideshow performer who eventually made her home in Gibsonton with her husband, fellow performer Emmitt Bejano. This isn’t just a story about the circus. It’s about a community that gave show people a place to call home. From the Showtown Bar and the Carnival Museum to the stories of Al and Jeanie Tomaini, Ward Hall, the Viking Giant and the performers who kept the sideshow tradition alive, we wanted to capture a little piece of a Florida history that is slowly disappearing. Welcome to GIBTOWN, USA. 0:00 - Introduction: Welcome to Gibtown, USA 0:57 - Exploring the Historic Showtown Bar 3:38 - International Independent Showmen’s Museum Highlights 7:05 - Legends of the Sideshow: The Viking Giant 8:00 - The Dangerous Wall of Death 9:00 - Growing Up in Gibtown: Personal Stories (Grady Styles) 13:00 - The Abandoned Carnival Cemetery 15:15 - Remembering Al and Jeanie Tomaini 18:38 - River’s Edge Bar and Local Alafia River History 20:10 - Hogan’s Place Petting Farm 23:45 - The Mystery of the Ivory Nicole McFarland Grave 26:54 - Conclusion and Future Exploration Plans