Hearst Castle is one of those places that everyone who lives in California needs to visit once in their lifetime. I had been multiple times, but never with D or the kids. D’s family says he went he was a kid, but he did not remember it.
Can you see the castle on the hill?
You can buy tickets online in advance but I found their reservation fee outrageous so we waited until the day of our tour to buy tickets. We arrived early and bought tickets for the first Grand Rooms tour of the day at 9:00 am with no problem. There is a bus that transports you up the hill to the castle while you listen to narration by Alex Trebek.
Our tour began in front of one of the guesthouses. There were tourists in our group from multiple countries, including Australia!
Unfortunately, the famed Neptune Pool was being renovated–doh! Apparently it was leaking 5,000 gallons of water everyday. The tour guide said it was scheduled to be done by the end of the year, but I am pretty sure it will take longer than that!
La Casa Grande! It was interesting to learn about the corroboration between William Randolph Hearst and his architect, Julia Morgan (a Cal grad!).
It was nice that they had already started decorating for Christmas.
Our tour guide was an amazing fount of knowledge.
The intricate detail that can be found everywhere is so amazing.
After the tour, we were free to wander the grounds.
When you are ready to leave, you go down to the indoor pool and catch a bus at what the tour guide called the “fanciest bus stop in America”.
Walking on gold!
