Covering 24 square miles, Hialeah is a city in west Miami near the Florida Everglades, adjacent to Virginia Gardens, Pinewood Park, Medley, and Miami Springs. The city’s name comes from a Seminole word for “high prairie”. The community has a distinctive Hispanic flavor where Spanish is spoken more than English.
Area hotels and resorts include Presidente Motel, Caribbean Villas, Don Shula’s Hotel & Golf Club, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Ramada Inn, and the Howard Johnson.
Dining choices include La Casa Del Pan Con Picadillo, Latin American Grill, Outback Steakhouse, Ming Village Chinese Restaurant, Lazaro Restaurant, Hialeah Havana Grill, Casa Panza Restaurant, Delaney Street, and Estrella Cubana Restaurant.
A few of the annual events held in Hialeah are the Italian Renaissance Festival, Firecracker 10K/5K, and the Amelia Folk & Art Festival.
Local attractions include Amelia Erhart Park, Henry Milander Park, Russell Bucky Dent Park, Ted Hendricks Stadium, Hialeah Speedway, and 220-acre Mediterranean designed Hialeah Park dating back to 1925 as a thoroughbred racetrack, now a wildlife sanctuary where festivals are held (while the issue of horse racing at the park is debated by city government).
Plays, musical performances and concerts are offered at the Center Stage School of Performing Arts. Other area venues include the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts (Miami) and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts (Ft Lauderdale).
The main shopping venue in Hialeah is Westland Mall with three department stores and 100 specialty stores. Other nearby shopping includes the Mall of the Americas, Dolphin Mall, and Miami International Mall.
Over two dozen golf courses are in or near Hialeah including Country Club of Miami, Crandon Golf Course, Don Shula’s Golf Club, Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Flamingo Lakes Country Club, Woodlands Country Club, and Jacaranda Golf & Country Club.
Aquatic programs are offered at the Bucky Dent Aquatic Center, Milander Aquatic Center, Babcock Pool, Bright Pool, Walker Pool, Reid Pool, and the McDonald Aquatic Center.
Written by: Natasha Lawrence
