The Little-Known Florida City Just Outside Miami With A Massive Flea Market And Unique Architecture

If you're looking to spend some time in Florida, Miami is always a prime destination. Not only is it the second-largest city in the Sunshine state (and, surprisingly, the rudest city in America), but it's home to so many fascinating suburbs and neighborhoods. One of the smallest and most captivating is Opa-locka. Situated just north of the Miami International Airport (and one of Florida's artsiest neighborhoods), Opa-locka is a unique hidden gem.

But what makes this 4.1-square-mile neighborhood so engaging? Well, the main attraction is the enormous Opa Locka Flea Market on the west side. The market is a mixture of indoor and outdoor vendor spaces, with over 200 stalls in the air-conditioned building. It's also open 365 days of the year, making it an ideal choice for holiday shopping.

While the flea market is certainly the crown jewel of the city, Opa-locka is fun to explore, thanks to its Moorish revival architecture, walkable streets, and connection to Hollywood movies like "Bad Boys." Here's everything you need to know about this city.

One thing you'll notice as you drive through Opa-locka is its unique, Moorish-style architecture. In fact, this city has the largest concentration of Moorish Revival buildings in the United States, helping to put it on the map. The "Arabian Nights" theme also extends to the street names, some of which are called Aladdin, Sabur, Ali-Baba, and Sharazad.

The name of the city comes from the Native Americans, who called the area Opa-tisha-wocka-locka. This name translates to "a big island covered with many trees and swamps." When the city was founded by aviator Glen Curtiss in 1926, the name was shortened to Opa-locka. The original city had 105 Moorish-style buildings, but a hurricane swept through in 1926, damaging many of them. Currently, only 20 structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places today.

As for the flea market, that came around during Opa-locka's revival period. After the hurricane, the town rebuilt and the U.S. government built an air base within the city (now the Miami Opa-locka Executive Airport). However, by the 1950s, the city was on the decline and struggling to stay afloat. By the time the flea market opened in 1985, the goal was to turn the town into the "Flea Market Capital of Florida." For 40 years, while the market became widely known, it was marred by controversy and scandals behind the scenes, including bribery, arrests, and even murder. The original market closed in 2022, although a replacement opened just up the street later that year.

Probably the easiest way to get to Opa-locka is to fly into Miami, even though it's considered one of the worst airports in the world, due to its bizarre layout. If you have a private jet, though, you can fly into the executive airport and be right next to all the action.

As we mentioned, the architecture and flea market are the main attractions of the city, but the current version of the market is not as grandiose or marvelous as the original (according to Google Maps reviews). Still, the Moorish-style sign welcoming you in is a fantastic photo opportunity, and you never know what hidden treasures you'll find among the stalls.

Beyond the flea market, you can take a tour of the other historical buildings within the city. Some notable standouts in the city and beyond include the massive city hall building, the Baird House, and Curtiss Mansion (although that is in Miami Springs to the south). Driving around the city hall area, you can spot some other homes built during Opa-locka's Moorish heyday.