Hialeah, FL

Hialeah is a city of about 223,000 people northwest of Miami, the second-largest in Miami-Dade County and the sixth-largest in Florida. Incorporated in 1925, it has the highest share of Cuban and Cuban American residents of any US city, and Spanish is the everyday language on its streets. Visitors come for its historic racetrack, a big county park and some of the most authentic Cuban bakeries, cafeterias and coffee windows in the country.

Where is Hialeah?

Hialeah sits on former prairie land between Biscayne Bay and the Everglades, northwest of downtown Miami and north of Miami International Airport. Main routes include the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826), Okeechobee Road (US 27), Interstate 75, the Gratigny Parkway and the Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike. Metrorail stops at the Hialeah and Okeechobee stations and at the Tri-Rail/Metrorail Transfer station, and Tri-Rail also serves Hialeah Market. Miami International is about 15 minutes away. It is part of Greater Miami.

Things to do in Hialeah

Hialeah Park, the historic racetrack that opened in 1925, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is an Audubon bird sanctuary known for its flock of pink flamingos. Amelia Earhart Park, a 515-acre Miami-Dade county park, has lakes, a large dog park and the Miami Watersports Complex for cable wakeboarding. Milander Park has the city’s auditorium and football stadium. Beyond that, the best way to see Hialeah is to eat: stop for a cafecito and pastelitos, and expect to order in Spanish at many counters. Traffic on Okeechobee Road and the Palmetto is heavy at rush hour.