Hulaville (Site)
McMahan's Half AcreHulaville was one of those desert roadside places you could only stumble across in the days before GPS told you exactly where to go. It sat off old Route 66 near Hesperia, put together by a retired carnival worker named Miles Mahan starting in 1955.
It all began with a giant wooden sign of a hula dancer that Miles rescued from an old Hawaiian-themed restaurant. He planted it in the desert sand, then started adding to the place piece by piece—bottle trees made from empty wine and beer bottles, hand-painted boards with funny sayings or bits of poetry, old dolls, little statues, and even a homemade mini-golf course. Miles lived right there in a small trailer, always ready to wave or chat with curious travelers.
For decades, buses on the way to Las Vegas would stop so folks could wander around, laugh at the signs, and maybe hear Miles recite a poem. It wasn’t fancy, but it was personal—every object meant something to him.
When Miles moved to a care home in 1995, the site didn’t last long. He passed away in 1997, and later that year Hula Ville was torn down. Some of its treasures, including the big hula girl sign, now live at the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville. For those who saw it in person, it’s remembered as a little patch of magic in the middle of the Mojave.
Route 66 Museum
Cajon Pass Route 66
15 Freeway
U.S. 91
National Old Trails Road
Hesperia, CA.
