The Hippodrome of Beirut has been hosting horse racing since 1885 and is one of the oldest active racetracks in the Middle East. Sunday afternoon meetings draw a small, dedicated crowd of bettors, owners, and the curious.
The grandstand is faded but the atmosphere is genuine — old men with binoculars, kids running between rows of seats, a stuttering Arabic commentary, and the horses thundering past the city's pine forest. Entry is cheap, races are short and frequent, and it is one of the few places in Beirut where you can spend an afternoon for almost nothing.