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Los Angeles is home to many famous streets, including Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame, Sunset Boulevard and the Sunset Strip, and Santa Monica Boulevard, where Sheryl Crow crooned about wanting to “have some fun.”
But perhaps the city’s most interesting street is the portion of Wilshire Boulevard known as Miracle Mile. This stretch of road is beloved for its history, architecture, museums, and diversity of dining options (not to mention its own vibrant music scene.)
In short, there’s something for nearly everyone along the Miracle Mile. Here’s just a taste of what you can discover.
What is the Miracle Mile?
As the name implies, Miracle Mile is about a mile long. It’s a segment of Wilshire Boulevard that runs between La Brea and Fairfax avenues. Geographically speaking, Miracle Mile is just east of the famous and wealthy Beverly Hills enclave and southwest of Hollywood.
The history of the Miracle Mile
The origins of the name Miracle Mile, however, are about far more than the length of Wilshire Boulevard. The fascinating history of the area known as the Miracle Mile dates back to early California’s frontier days.
The area that is now Miracle Mile was once a simple country dirt road used by Spanish rancheros. This road ran through an area dominated by barley fields and cattle ranches.
Then in the early 1900s, a man with a grander vision for the area came along: A.W. Ross. He purchased 18 acres of land along the dirt road and transformed it into what is today — Wilshire Boulevard, including the Miracle Mile.
The so-called “miracle” is that Ross, who envisioned turning this rural frontier setting into a bustling commercial and retail district, achieved his goal despite detractors who said it would take a miracle to accomplish. In its heyday, Miracle Mile was known as “the Fifth Avenue of the West,” thanks to its department stores and Art Deco architecture.
Things to see and do along the Miracle Mile
From world-class museums to Art Deco architecture and shopping, there’s plenty to see and do along the Miracle Mile.
But the museums here on “Museum Row” are often the stars of the show.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The iconic Los Angeles County Museum of Art (referred to as LACMA by locals) is easy to spot with its very Instagrammable Urban Lights art installation out front along Wilshire.
Within the museum’s galleries, meanwhile, you’ll find more than 150,000 objects that span 6,000 years of art from around the world. As the largest art museum in the Western United States, filled with everything from Greek to Asian and Roman art, it’s worth spending a few hours or a half-day here. Our guide to exploring LACMA can help you plan your visit.
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Not far away from LACMA, you’ll find the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, which showcases an entirely different chapter of the region’s history — one that dates back to the Ice Age when mammoths roamed the region.
The prehistoric La Brea Tar Pits are noteworthy for being the only actively excavated Ice Age fossil site in the world that’s located amid a bustling city. Dating back 50,000 years, many animals were trapped in the sticky tar pits and remained there, preserved for modern researchers to find. The discoveries from tar pit excavations are showcased in the museum, which includes everything from giant, extinct mammoths to sloths.
Petersen Automotive Museum
On the other side of Wilshire is the Petersen Automotive Museum, which chronicles all things related to automotive history and engineering. The more than 100,000-square-foot museum is a must for car lovers as one of the largest automotive museums in the world.
The building’s exterior, meanwhile, is equally striking as the galleries. In 2015, the museum’s exterior was redesigned to evoke the movement of a car and the airflow that occurs over a car’s body. To accomplish this look, 308 individual silver stainless steel “ribbons” were placed on the exterior of the red museum building.
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The most recent addition in the museum neighborhood is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened in 2021.
Though it’s the new kid on the block, the museum’s core space is the old May Company Building, which was one of the most significant landmarks from the Miracle Mile’s late 1930s glory days.
Fun fact: The new museum is the largest in the United States, focused exclusively on showcasing the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking.
El Rey Theater
There’s more to explore along Miracle Mile than just museums, of course. This historic stretch of road is also known for its Art Deco architecture, much of which dates back to the early 1900s. Among the remaining examples is the El Rey Theater.
Built in 1936, the theater is an LA registered Historic-Cultural Monument that, for more than half a century, served as a movie house. In 1994, that epic run ended, and the space was transformed into a live music venue. Fortunately, despite its new use, the building’s historic Art Deco lobby and many other details were maintained.
The El Rey has hosted a long list of industry stars from Bob Dylan to Alanis Morissette and Coldplay. It’s also popped up in more than a few movies, among them “La La Land,” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” If you want to experience the El Rey for yourself, purchase tickets to take in a show. The theater continues to have a packed calendar of artists performing several nights a week.
Dining and shopping on Miracle Mile
There’s no shortage of dining options along Miracle Mile, making it easy to find a place to enjoy a meal in between taking in the sights.
Some of the most noteworthy options include:
- Uovo, an Italian restaurant that flies in hand-made pasta from Bologna, Italy
- Fortune House Chinese Cuisine, a local favorite serving a variety of classic Chinese dishes, as well as Chinese-American fare
- République, serving French-inspired fare in a building originally built by Charlie Chaplin
- Descanso, a modern taqueria offering authentic Mexican dishes prepared at your table
There are also plenty of shops to explore along Miracle Mile.
Among the locally unique highlights is Liz’s Antique Hardware, which is part fine arts gallery, part vintage antiques store. Another local favorite is Miracle Mile Toys & Gifts, a neighborhood toy store that sells classic toys, along with unique brands sourced internationally. And in a city known for glamour, Wilshire Beauty is a popular stop. The shop was founded 1947 and began as a laboratory for screen siren Rita Hayworth’s colorist. Today it carries beauty products from America, Europe, and Japan.
The Miracle Mile
With its eclectic variety of attractions including museums, historic architecture, shopping, and some of the city’s best dining, Miracle Mile remains a popular tourist destination in Los Angeles.
Looking for another legendary Los Angeles street to explore? Don’t miss the glamorous Rodeo Drive just north of Wilshire Boulevard, one of the most famous streets in the world.
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