Revisiting Hearst Castle
nothing but beautiful
Hearst Castle was built by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst on a hill near the Pacific Ocean in San Simeon, Central California. It has an excellent location overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The castle began planning and construction in 1919 and took 28 years to complete. After Hearst’s death, his family donated the castle and the nearby manor to the state of California. As a state historical park in California, the castle has become a unique landmark memorial in the area.
William Hearst’s father, George Hearst, bought a total of 127 acres of farmland for US$57 per acre in 1865 to operate a ranching business.
The park uses buses to take tourists from the gate of the park along the winding hill road to the castle on the top of the mountain for a 20-minute ride.
You can see the Pacific Ocean in the west appearing and disappearing during the ride on the swirling road.
The park’s professional guides will explain along the way.
The blooming flowers coming towards you as warm welcome
White classical relief
Spectacular architecture
Sculptures of ancient Greek Olympic athletes look very familiar
Beautiful gardens. The guest rooms in the background were where Churchill and Chaplin stayed when they visited.
Various exotic flowers and plants
A 3,000-year-old lion-headed human figure purchased from Egypt
Classical sculptures acquired from Europe
After two years of restoration and renovation, the world-famous Hearst Castle outdoor Neptune Pool was refilled in August 2018 in time for its centennial anniversary in 2019. The deep blue water reflects light, creating a gorgeous turquoise hue that is a favorite among photographers.
Ancient Greek Neptune Pool
A garden filled with various flowers, plants and trees
Pleasant garden view with fogs in the background hiding the rolling hills
Casa Grande, Spanish for Big House, is the main building of Hearst Castle. It is a 165-room mansion with a grand staircase, ballroom, library and other ornately decorated rooms.
Casa Grande is located on a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The mansion is made of concrete and steel, with limestone and marble facings. The roof is covered with red tiles.
Casa Grande was built in phases over 20 years. The first phase was completed in 1922 and the last phase in 1947.
Hearst filled Casa grande with his extensive art and antique collection. The mansion features furniture, tapestries, paintings and sculptures from around the world.
The quirky Gothic study was the centerpiece of Hearst’s private suite on the third floor of Casa Grande, the main building of his hilltop estate in San Simeon. It was here that he would preview his newspaper every night before it went to press.
The concrete arches were decorated by Camille Solon in 1934–35, but the historic Spanish ceiling dates from the early 1400s.
Banquet Hall
William Randolph Hearst loved traveling during his lifetime, so most of the flags in the castle’s banquet hall are from various countries and regions that Hearst had visited or was interested in. The flags hanging from the ceiling create a colorful festive atmosphere.
Some of the flags you might see in this dining hall include:
Italian flag
Spanish flag
French flag
Mexican flag
American Flag
British flag
German flag
Flag of Austria-Hungary
Russian flag
The small theater shows Hollywood movies at that time
Roman swimming pool antique
The Roman Pool is an indoor pool located in the Casa Grande wing of the castle. It is covered from ceiling to floor with 1-inch square mosaic tiles. These glass tiles, called smalti, are either colored (mostly blue or orange) or transparent with molten gold inside.
The pool is surrounded by marble columns and loggias. There are eight statues of Roman gods and goddesses around the pool. These statues are made of marble and were carved by Italian artists.
The tour lasted two hours. It also offers a variety of different themed tours. I have visited this castles for at least 5 times and every time I visited it sounded to have an Europe tour. It is definitely one of my most favorite.
This is the website to book your tickets online. It is best to book online in advance:
https://www.reservecalifornia.com/Web/Activities/HearstCastleTours.aspx
Updated on 2023–06–12
