Take a trip to the Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle is one of California’s famous landmarks.  The Hearst Castle is a place you must visit.  It was a retreat to William Randolph Hearst and is now owned by the State of California.  The estate consists of the main house, “Casa Grande”, and three guest houses.  Tours are available to see the estate.  All tours start at the visitor center.  There are several tours available that visit different parts of the estate.

Tours are available every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.  The tours are about 2 hours long.  You will die doing a lot of walking.  You will not be able to see the entire estate in one day.  Hearst Castle is an amazing place and you will not soon forget your visit.

Hearst Castle is located on the California Central Coast in the San Simeon hills.  William Randolph Hearst called the site of his castle the Enchanted Hill.  The castle was his private retreat to get away from it all.  Many celebrities and famous guests have stayed at the Hearst Castle.  Now you can visit the Castle and enjoy the splendor.

Hearst castle is a Mediterranean style estate.  When you are at the Castle you can visit the museum Shop.  The Gift Shop has books, souvenirs and apparel that are available at the Castle.  You can also stop and get a meal or snack.  You can get fresh food to go at the café.  There is inside dining and outdoor courtyard dining.  There is a gourmet Espresso Bar that serves hot and cold beverages.

The Hearst Castle has quiet an early history.  In 1865 a wealthy miner named George Hearst bought 40,000 acres of land that included the Mexican Ranchos of Piedros Blacas, San Simeon and Santa Rosa.  William Randolph Hearst inherited the land in 1919 from his mother.  By 1919 the ranch consisted of 250,000 acres.

It was originally known as “Camp Hill.”  The family members and friends came here to enjoy the wilderness.  In 1919 Mr. Hearst decided he was tired of staying in tents when he visited the ranch.  He hired Julia Morgan in 1919 to design a home away from home for him.  Hearst and Morgan designed his dream home.  By 1947 they had created an estate with 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways.

The Gardens of the Hearst Castle are superb.  They use the Coastal Live Oaks and California Bays in their design.  There are other large trees such as the Italian Cypress and Mexican Fan Palms.  Hearst wanted gardens that had bloomed the year round.

The Hearst Gardens have bougainvillea, tulips, hyacinths, gladiolus, lilies, dahlias, hollyhocks, marigolds, carnations and many more flower varieties.

The Hearst Castle has 2 pools.  There is the Neptune Pool.  It was changed many times.  The gardens surrounding the pool were also changed.  The Roman Pool is an indoor pool.  It is styled after the Roman baths.  The pool is decorated with mosaic tiles.

Tour 1 is called the Experience Tour.  It is recommended for first time visitors.  The tour takes in Esplanade and Gardens.  You will see marble sculptures and flowers.  You will visit the Casa de Sol which is an 18 room guest house.  You will see 4 bedrooms, 4 baths and a sitting room.  You will also visit Casa Grande.  You will visit 5 ground rooms including the Assembly Room, the Refectory, Morning Room, Billiard Room and the Theater.  The Theater is the largest room in Casa Grande.

Tour 2 is the Casa Grande tour.  You will see the Doge’s Suite inspired by the Doge’s Palace in Venice.  There are the Cloisters which are 4 guestrooms.  You will see the Library with 4,000 books and a collection of Ancient Greek and Roman antiques.  You will visit the Gothic Suite which was Hearst’s private suite with its library and office.  You will check out the kitchen and pantry.

Tour 3 is the Casa Grande North tour.  You will visit the North Terrace which is unfinished.  It originally was to be the estate's entrance.  You will see Casa Del Monte which is a 10 room guest house that overlooks the Santa Lucia Mountains.  You will get to see most of the rooms.  You will visit the North Wing of Casa Grande.  You will visit three floors of guest suites.  These suites are modern and spacious.  They have beautiful antique Spanish ceilings.

Tour 4 is the Garden Tour.  You will check out the Hidden Terrace.  It is an early staircase, pond and terrace that were completely hidden by later construction.  It was discovered during restoration.  You will get to see the 17 colorfully painted dressing rooms of the Neptune Pool.  You will visit the Gardens and Grounds.  You will follow the Esplanade and take in all of the estate's gardens, terraces and walkways.  You will visit Casa Del Mar that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.  It is the largest and fanciest guest house.  You will visit the Wine Cellar of Casa Grande.  There are rare European vintage wine and California wines stored here.

Tour 5 is the Evening Tour.  You will visit sites from tours 1, 2 and 4.  People from the Living History Program will dress up in 1930’s clothes and give life to the exquisite surroundings.  You will travel back in time.

There are also summer tours you can take and enjoy.  It takes more than one day to see everything there is to see at the Hearst Castle.  It is a true adventure you will not soon forget.

Article sources:

http://www.hearstcastle.org

http://www.hearstcastle.com/content/hearst-castle-tours

http://www.viator.com/hearst-castle