Hialeah Park contains one of horse racings oldest and most prominent tracks. Built in 1925 as a resort facility, the park was modeled after European racing sites such as Longchamps in France and several notable tracks in England. Bought in 1930 by Joseph Widener, the park was redesigned and includes a Renaissance Revival clubhouse, associated buildings and formal landscaped gardens of flora and fauna native to southern Florida. The park has a lake with several islands inhabited by large flocks of pink flamingos. Hialeah Park has become so famous for these birds that it has been officially designated a sanctuary for the American Flamingo by the Audubon Society. The racetrack and associated buildings are among the oldest existing recreational facilities in southern Florida. Originally built to attract the rich and famous who rode special trains to the park from Palm Beach, Hialeah Park has contributed to the development and popularization of southern Florida as a winter resort.
Hialeah's 1 1/8-mile racing oval was considered one of the best — and most-famed — surfaces in the country, and the distinguished Mediterranean-style architecture long made it a national landmark.