America’s Castle #hearstcastle @hearstcorp

Okay, so truth be told, the first time I ever really saw a REAL castle was when I was visiting a friend, she took me to see the historic Windsor Castle.

Having grown up as a kid in the USA, I didn’t really think we had castles, at least not on the west coast…

Well…I have to admit.  As a Kid…you REALLY DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING, LOL!

This past week while I was road tripping with my mom down the historic Pacific Coast Highway 1, we made a plan to check out the San Simeon castle, better known as Hearst Castle.  Built between 1919 and 1947 by Julia Morgan, and financed by the media mogul William Randolph Hearst, this voracious castle 5,634 meters squared and sits on over 8,300 square meters of land.

Located on top of a hill in the San Simone valley, The castle has 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, over 127 acres of gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a tennis courts, movie theatre, private airfield (for planes) and was home to the world’s largest private zoo, with Zebras and other exotic animals still roaming the grounds today!

The castle was an amazing thing to look at, and the views of the pacific coast were amazing from the top of the estate.  You couldn’t help but think about what it must have been like being driven to the castle on a weekend when some of the celebrities like Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, the Marx Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Bob Hope, James Stewart, Franklin Roosevelt, Walt Disney and Winston Churchill were showing up for the occasion.  Really a sneak peek into the elite life of some of America’s most influential stars of the time.

Overall it was a great experience, one that I would definitely do again, was cool getting to see the ocean from such an amazing view point, and the afternoon with mom was one where memories that will last a lifetime where formed.

To book a tour click here