Flea Markets in Florida: Rad Finds at Renninger’s Flea Market and Steampunk Festival

The Renninger’s Mount Dora Flea Market and Antique Centre is one of the largest flea markets in Florida It takes place in Mount Dora, about 45 minutes outside of Orlando Florida, on each Saturday and Sunday. In addition, it hosts theme days and special events. Quite wonderfully, on the day we went there was a Steampunk Festival and flea market, which was entirely unique with extraordinary outfits, interesting booths and live music and entertainment.

Flea Markets in Florida: Renninger’s Flea Market Mount Dora

The Renninger’s Flea Market Mount Dora Florida is huge. I mean HUGE! It is too much to cover in one day, although we did our best. In the words of Jill’s dad, Paul, we “Hit it HARD”.

For flea markets in Florida, this one takes the cake. Renninger’s, with its Vintage and Antique Centre and Farmer’s Market, is split into two large areas covering about 117 acres of land. One side had a mass of booths, where individual vendors set out their vintage, and antique and garage-sale goods outdoors, as well as a large warehouse of booths indoors. The array of items here was vast, from junk to gorgeous antiques and vintage items. Some of the tables were downright alarming, such as booths with guns for sale advertised by a spray painted paper sign. And some were disturbing, such as the table filled with KKK and white supremacist artifacts and slave equipment, which was right across the row from a table of antiques run by a Black family. Also disturbing is that in every section there is an unmanned Trump paraphernalia booth…. for real…. which presumably exists at most flea markets in Florida.

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On this side of the venue is a Plant and Garden Market, a large Farmer’s Market, as well as a colorful Food Court. If you go to the Renninger’s Flea Market in Mount Dora Florida, try the Mexican food stand- the burrito was one of the best burritos I have ever tasted outside of Mexico!

The other side of the Renninger’s Flea Market has a beautiful tree covered “street” of stores called Antique Alley, that you can walk through and peruse the shops. We found a wicked set of vintage patio furniture that we had been wanting for a great price and shipped it back to Canada. Thank you to Frank at Antique Times in Mount Dora for taking it all apart for us and packaging it so it could make the long trek across the continent back to British Columbia Canada.

Steampunk Festival

One thing this flea market had that other flea market’s in Florida don’t, was a Steampunk Festival. Outside the back of Antique Alley at the flea market, is another area where the Steampunk Festival was set up. There was an outdoor stage and a large tented and grassy area of on-topic booths from steampunk style vendors.

We spent a long time over here enjoying the unique scene. Everything was interesting- the booths of items were filled with interesting items. The costumes were amazing. And the entertainment was enjoyable and varied from live music to fire dancers. It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon, after hours of wandering through the regular flea market.

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What is Steampunk????

I may not get this bang on, but I can best describe steampunk as a counter-culture movement that is grounded in science-fiction novels, which combines old, new and future. It is visually interesting and is full of stylistic inspiration, combining old Victorian and Wild West style with futuristic style, that features googles, clockworks and gears, and lace. It combines industrialism and technology with romanticism and fantasy.

Paul’s best discovery of the day is when he asked a vendor what all the goggles were for. The steampunk vendor advised that you needed googles to protect yourself during time travel, and you need to keep the goggles with you at all times because you just never know when you might hit a time travel vortex and need them.

The first Steampunk convention happened in 2006 and since the movement has grown into a phenomenon. This Steampunk Florida event was pretty enjoyable to hang out in.

For more information on Steampunk try these interesting blogs and articles:

• Steampunk Explorer, which has information and events for around the world, including the USA, Canada and Europe
• What is Steampunk: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences
• What the Hell is Steampunk– a Huffington Post article, although from 2011 is relevant still
• Steampunk For Historians

Florida Rad Find Best item :

We found (and purchased) the most amazing mug: a mug that transitions from black doors to “Great Gays Come out of the Closet”. The homo’s featured include Michelangelo, Sappho, Andy Warhol, Freddie Mercury, Audre Lourde, and others. Hello awesome!

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Who would give a law to lovers? Love is unto itself a higher law”

Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy

This post is part of Beyond the Gaybourhood’s FLORIDA SERIES. For more information on Florida, including information on what to do in Orlando, theme parks, a road trip up the Coastal A1A, St. Augustine, and hiking the Florida Trail in the Ocala National Forest, read my blog post “Orlando and Beyond: Florida Road Trip”.

Orlando and Beyond: Florida Road Trip