San Luis Obispo County Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)

Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle is located between Los Angeles and San Fransisco, CA, USA. We need shuttle bus with fee to reach this place. This castle is wonderfull and historical. #castle #california #usa

Hearst Castle is the grand mansion of the American newspaper magnate

Hearst Castle, built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst on a hill near San Simeon, California, is located between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The castle's construction began in 1919 and was completed after Hearst's death in 1957, and today it has become a unique landmark in the area. The castle was built on a ranch owned by Hearst's father, George Hearst (purchased in 1865, covering 160 square kilometers). Young Hearst also spent his childhood here. When Hearst's mother, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, passed away in 1919, the estate had expanded to a 1,000 square kilometer farm. Young Hearst inherited this property from his mother. At the same time, transformative construction on the farm began and continued until 1947, when it stopped due to Hearst's deteriorating health and his move out. San Francisco architect Julia Morgan was responsible for almost all of the architectural design. After Hearst's death, the family donated the castle and the surrounding estate to the state of California due to the inability to afford the high inheritance tax. Today, the castle serves as a state historical park in California and is open to visitors. To attract tourists, this mansion built between 1919-1947 is referred to as 'Hearst's Castle'. Hearst's Castle's two swimming pools are as luxurious as the castle itself. The outdoor Neptune Pool, 32 meters long, uses an oil heating system and is adorned with marble statues of Neptune and Nereids, reminiscent of ancient Roman and Greek mythology. The other is the indoor Roman Pool, smaller in size, resembling an ancient Roman bath with intricate decorations, including cobalt blue and gold smalti (glass tiles). Looking up, one can see the detailed mosaic patterns covering the ceiling and dome, depicting a starry night sky. Around the pool stand eight marble statues, all sculpted by Italian sculptor Carlo Freter, representing Greek and Roman gods and heroes. ⚠️Note: Visitors will first arrive at the Visitor Center, which is free to enter and contains some introductions to Hearst Castle and a display of some artifacts. However, the Visitor Center is very far from the castle, which is located on a hill. From the Visitor Center's observation deck, the castle can be seen in the distance, appearing very small! To enter the castle for a tour, one must purchase a ticket and take a bus up the mountain. There are various ticket options, each offering access to different sights within the castle! The most popular are: Grand Rooms Tour, which includes the reception hall, dining room, billiard room, etc. The hall contains huge tapestries, all precious artifacts transported from Europe! Many art pieces were once collected by European royalty, and Hearst, due to his early experiences in Europe and his love for European art, purchased many treasures. The tour concludes with a short film introducing Hearst Castle and its guests. Upstairs Suites Tour, which includes Hearst and his family's private residences, luxurious suites, luxurious guest suites, and the library. The upper level tour involves climbing a spiral staircase, so it's not recommended for those with mobility issues due to the number of stairs! Both of the above options require a bus ride up and down the mountain, each estimated to take about 2 hours! I have been on both of these popular tours, and both include a visit to the castle's facade and the luxurious indoor and outdoor swimming pools. There are also other options like the Kitchen Tour and Evening Tour, each requiring a separate ticket. The ride to the castle offers beautiful scenery, with views of the Eastern Pacific Ocean and surroundings that resemble an oil painting🖼️. The mountain road has many bends, and there are many cows🐂 on the way up🚌. Along the way, you'll pass enclosures for large animals, which once housed polar bears🐻‍❄️ After arriving at the mountain, it is mandatory to follow the park's guide and not to leave the group until the end of the tour and the bus ride down the mountain.

Hearst Castle

A historical landmark an actual artifact overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Breath taking views and wonderful sights around the castle. The restaurant is good, one can try the beef raised on location, it's succulent on their burgers. Over-all it was a nice getaway from the monotonous grind that LA life is. I recommend purchasing your tickets online; walk in obtain your wristband and have a seat. In addition, wearing a mask is recommended but not mandatory since people are inside a bus just keep it safe.

Hearst Castle is located on a hill on the seashore of St. Simon, a private villa of American media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, known as the most expensive private villa in the United States, and later his post When people were not taxed, they donated the castle to the government for tourists to visit. Hurst Castle can't visit on its own. It can only participate in the Tour organized by the castle itself. It drives to the parking lot at the foot of the mountain and takes the bus up the castle. There are a number of Tour for visitors to choose from each day. The departure time and price of different Tour are different. You can check online in advance. If you are nervous for the first time, you can only participate in the Grand Rooms Tour. After 60 minutes, he will take you. Visit the living room, dining room, living room, billiard hall and auditorium. If you have time, you can also participate in multiple Tour at the same time. Reserve 20 minutes between multiple Tour. Parking GPS: 35.650394

a beautiful place

a place where I love to go whenever i can i feel so relax 2 hrs 25 mns from 🏡

Had a great time in Pismo Beach for a nice holiday vacation! We stayed at the SeaCrest OceanFront Hotel during our visit. It was very relaxing, the hotel room was nice and the patio opened up directly to the back for a beautiful ocean view. Our room also had a mini fridge, microwave, and Keurig which came in handy. They had continental breakfast each morning. Breakfast was limited as we visited during quarantine, but was still more than enough to fill you up. The staff was also very friendly and helpful throughout our stay. Overall, we had a very pleasant and fun trip. #holidayvacation #wintergetaway #merryxmas #holidayvacation#wintergetaway#staycation#merryxmas

Fun in the sun!

we love it here! The pizza place around the corner from the parking lot is our fav

During my trip to US I happened to stop by this beautiful beach called Avila beach. The view is beautiful and you can enjoy some quality time alone or with your friends. Enjoy the walking along the shore or simply sit by and overlooking the horizon. Great place. #wintergetaway #wintergetaway

美國的暑假旅遊

Let’s go ! Somewhere in Louisiana，Holding a baby alligator，A-12 Black Bird spy plane，Pensacola Beach，The waves were awesome to play with , jellyfish ,not so much …

Big Arroyo town on California Highway 1. Single-family villas, the rooms are spacious and comfortable, hard to say the shortcomings, that is, the position is relatively small, but there is no car at all. This is a good place, the environment is big enough, located in a relatively quiet town, a few minutes drive around there is a big supermarket, suitable for supplies.