Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop, Flea market and drive-in theater in Fort Lauderdale, United States.
Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop is an 80-acre indoor and outdoor flea market in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a 14-screen drive-in theater. Covered stalls fill the grounds, and the tall screens stand over the parking areas; 13 of the 14 screens remain in use after Hurricane Wilma damaged several in 2005.
Preston Henn and Betty Henn opened the site as a drive-in in 1963, adding the flea market after visiting the west coast. The covered food court arose in 1979 and was later enclosed to house daily circus performances that ran until 2006.
The Thunderbird name recalls the American suburban drive-in culture, where families watched films together from their cars. Today shoppers walk between vendor tables bargaining over clothes and fruit, pausing to chat with sellers who call out deals and wave customers closer.
The flea market still operates across the 80-acre grounds, but the drive-in closed in 2023 after a fire burned Screen 5, so plan a visit around shopping rather than films. Of the 14 screens, 13 were in use after Hurricane Wilma damaged several in 2005. The site sits off Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
The Hanneford Family Circus performed daily in the food court from 1989 to 2006, drawing millions of visitors. Old posters still recall the era when acrobats and clowns appeared between food stalls, and shoppers paused to watch.
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