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Hearst Castle Temporarily Suspends Tours. Click below “Your Actions Save Lives” for Covid-19 & SLO State Parks Updates

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Designing the Dream Tour

Explore the evolution of style and design from the early 1920s through the last days when Hearst left the hilltop in 1947.

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For anyone who is passionate about architecture and interior design, this 75-minute tour offers a comprehensive itinerary to explore how Hearst’s astounding idea was realized. Collaborating for decades with Julia Morgan (1872-1957), the first woman to hold an architect’s license in California, Hearst created an environment that is unique in the USA. Design and construction of the Enchanted Hill took more than three decades, and the estate was never really finished. This tour features Casa del Sol (the most elaborate of the guest cottages), the dressing-rooms behind the Roman Pool, and the more “modern” Art Deco esthetic of the North Wing of Casa Grande, which was built and furnished in the late 1930s – early 1940s.

TOUR RESERVATION, CHANGE AND CANCELLATION POLICY
Reservations can be made, changed or cancelled online at ReserveCalifornia.com or by calling 1-800-444-4445.

There is an $8.00 per ticket registration fee to reserve tickets.

Changes to tour date or time can be made in advance for a service fee of $8.00 per ticket.

Cancelled reservations will be assessed a $7.00 cancellation fee.

Physical Requirements

The Designing the Dream tour is 75 minutes long and includes approximately 320 steps, both up and down, and 1.2 mile walk. For those who have difficulty walking or standing for lengths of time, we recommend Accessibly Designed Tours.

 

 

Visit the Grounds

Roman Pool
1
The Gardens
2
  • 1 Roman Pool

    Located where you board the bus to return to the Visitor Center, the intensely decorated indoor Roman Pool is the perfect place to stop and relax. Modeled after ancient Roman baths, this meticulously detailed, majestic pool is tiled from ceiling to floor, and features marble copies of eight ancient Greek and Roman deities and athletes.

  • 2 The Gardens

    After the guided portion of your tour concludes, explore the expansive garden grounds that surround “La Cuesta Encantada”—Hearst’s Spanish name for The Enchanted Hill. Look for native plants, rare flowers and lush foliage that have been at the Castle since Mr. Hearst resided here.