Art, fashion and food combine to create a buzzing atmosphere in Miracle Mile. Discover the best of what this affluent LA district has to offer at its bars, museums and outlet stores. Miracle Mile is centered on Wilshire Boulevard, which was once a prehistoric migration route and a path trodden by Spanish rancheros. It became a retail and tourist district after a realtor purchased land in 1921 with a plan to decentralize the city’s commercial activity.
Start your day by delving into prehistoric, art and automobile history at the museums of Museum Row. Los Angeles County Museum of Art has everything from antique glasswork and Greek ceramics to contemporary Latin American and Spanish colonial paintings. Outside, the Urban Light is a fascinating installation of 202 restored and solar-powered street lamps. See original sections of the Berlin Wall at the Wall Project.
La Brea Tar Pits is a collection of tar pits and a museum home to one of the world’s richest sources of Ice Age fossils. See fossilized mammoths, sloths and saber-toothed tigers in addition to stage and multimedia shows. Hancock Park La Brea surrounds the museum with bubbling asphalt pits, lush lawns and models of Ice Age mammals.
Have fun designing your own artwork at Craft Contemporary. Spot famous race cars and vehicles from cult Hollywood movies at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor and American Colonial Revival homes dominate the architecturally impressive Miracle Mile North Historic District.
Food trucks and gastropubs line Wilshire Boulevard and satisfy cravings with international cuisine. Sample authentic Baja-style tacos, Cuban rolls and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. Attend concerts at the art deco El Rey Theater. In neighboring La Brea, The Grove shopping village has high-end and chain retailers.
Miracle Mile sits 3 miles (5 kilometers) south from West Hollywood. Public buses run along Wilshire Boulevard and other major thoroughfares that cut through the neighborhood. To the north is the vibrant Fairfax District and to the west are the coffeehouses, thrift stores and restaurants of Little Ethiopia.