Hearst Castle: The Enchanted Hill

Comments (0) |

E-Mail

Text Size:

tool goes here

Some find it grand and inspiring.

Others find it gaudy and over the top.

But a visit to William Randolph Hearst’s castle on the hill is something everyone should do at least once.

Click image to see caption

larger version

Repairing Hearst's famous Neptune pool: a narrated slideshow

Exploring Hearst Castle is possible only by guided tour, and reservations are strongly recommended (adults $20-$30 depending on season and tour, on the web or 800-444-4445). There are five tours, but for first-timers your best bet is the Experience Tour (tour 1), which features a general tour of the castle, its amazing pools and the National Geographic film "Hearst Castle: Building the Dream" on a five-story screen. In the spring and fall (March-May and September-December) another fun option is the Evening Tour, which recreates a night at the castle in its 1930s heyday with actors in period dress. Expect to spend a couple hours at the castle.

Christmas is an especially magical time at the castle, as the halls are decked floor to ceiling in typical Hearst opulent fashion. Tour the castle from mid-November to Jan. 2 to take in 18-foot decorated trees, more than 40 wreaths, 100 poinsettias, 400-plus wrapped packages, 700 feet of lighted garland and miles of lights, all displayed in the already-grand castle.

The visitor center features a snack bar, espresso bar, gift shop and a free exhibit on William Randolph Hearst’s life, career and the building of his dream home. And even the bus ride from the visitors center to the castle is spectacular, a five-mile journey up the hill with panoramic views of the coastline and the chance to see both the wildlife native to the area and descendents of the exotic species Hearst had in his zoo, including zebra, elk and wild pigs.

Has something changed? Email us here to let us know.

About comments

Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.

What you should know about comments on SanLuisObispo.com

SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.

Here are some rules of the road:

Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and leave him a public message.
Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@sanluisobispo.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@sanluisobispo.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.