"Hearst Castle" Tour

October 5, 2009
San Simeon, CA

We've been through this area many times, but never stopped to do a tour at Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, commonly known as "Hearst Castle". Built beginning in 1919 and continuing through most of William Randolph Hearst's life, it's a grand place. Part of the California State Park system since the 1950s, it's a pretty popular tourist destination. The Visitor's Center shows a film and has all the requisite souvenirs and overpriced snacks, and is the starting point for the shuttle busses that take you to the top (they don't allow private vehicles in). They offer five different tours, showing different parts of the estate in varying levels of detail. We took "Tour 1", the "introductory" one, that provides an overview of both the grounds and the history of the place.

Originally part of the Hearst Ranch, a cattle operation spanning several hundred square miles (one of the largest in California), the estate was deeded to the state but the ranch itself remains private property. We didn't realize that the Hearst family still retain some access privileges, but apparently they still host parties there at times. Of course, the state will rent the place out for parties and weddings (sit down before they quote a price), so they're making the most of it.

Overall, we were glad we did the tour. Geri was a little challenged by some of the steps, but she was a real trouper and did a good job of keeping up with the tour guide, who did an excellent job (we found out later she's been doing it for 30+ years). Since we signed up for the 11:00 AM tour, we had to leave the coach at 9:30-ish (too early for us) so we watched the film on the way out instead of before the tour.

Click here for pictures...

We were back home by 4:00, just in time to take the pups for their afternoon walk. Well, we stopped at Costco for a rotisserie chicken on the way, and made a simple and easy dinner.