6th Anniversary - Cambria/Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle, the Enchanted Hill, William Randolph Hearst, Julia Morgan - words can not describe the luxury that exsists upon the hill, it is something you must experience.

We arrived on a misty morning and easily found parking. We went to Will Call to pick up our tickets, although the wait wasn't long if you hadn't purchased in advance I do recommend it. Especially if you do not want to take the basic tour.

We loaded up into the bus and went up the hill. The view was fantastic and we were able to spot some of the animals that roam the grounds, our bus driver was kind enough to pause for those of us wanting better pictures.

Our tour guide was informative and personable, she was able to answer all of the questions we threw her way. Jason asked if they got to go swimming and she told us that once a year volunteers got to swim in the Neptune Pool (although right now it's closed for maintenance). We were also able to see some of the restoration work that is being done and learned a little bit about that process.

Upon our arrival at the bottom of the hill we viewed the movie "Hearst Castle Building the Dream" which was very well done. However, don't miss the Visitor's Center! Hundreds of articles and primary documents are on display for your pleasure, you walk away with a much deeper understanding of Hearst.

Although the website touts the gift shop we found it uninspiring and filled with what you typically see. Food is available for purchase but we decided to head for nearby Cambria for lunch instead.

Details:
Website: hearst-castle.org
Tour length: 2 hours
Price $20 (The evening tour is $30)

After touring Hearst Castle and walking the streets of Cambria we were ready for some grub. We were looking for a relaxed, not upscale place to dine. West End Bar and Grille fit in with what we were looking for.

Jason had the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich ($8.95) and Megan had the Fish and Chips ($8.95). Food was great tasting with good portion sizes. Megan had 4 good sized pieces of fish and couldn't finish her whole meal.

The selection of entrees ran the gamut from your basic grilled cheese, hot dog, corn dog type food (all at $5.95) to sandwiches ($8-9), pasta ($10-12) and surf and turf ($11-22).

Service was good and although we could see how it could get a bit noisy, things were relatively quiet when we visited Sunday at 3pm.

We'd go back again, but with lots of dining options in the Cambria area we'd most likely try something new the next time we were in town.