The sky had gone from blue to lavender and peach as twilight approached. I was in a bus that was climbing into the Santa Lucia Mountains in Central California. The bus stopped at the top of the hill, unloading us in front of William Randolph Hearst's 127-acre mountaintop retreat, La Cuesta Encantada (the enchanted hill), and we climbed stairs, emerging by the Neptune Pool just as the sky flared into a brilliant pink.
I was on a special evening tour of Hearst Castle, offered in spring and fall, that was carefully orchestrated to take advantage of the region's colorful sunsets. The tours give guests an opportunity to see the beautifully lighted estate after dark and also let them experience something more -- a step back in time to the castle's 1930s heyday.
"The Ranch," as it was sometimes called, has a main house and three guesthouses: Altogether, there are 56 bedrooms and 61 bathrooms. Originally built as the private residence of publisher and art collector Hearst, it is now a California State Park and offers several types of guided tours daily. Hearst's 90,000-square-foot estate continues to fascinate me: The opulence, the history, the stories about his guests -- Chaplin, Cooper, Garbo, Colbert, Gable and Lombard, among them.
As my tour group of 18 rounded the pool, we realized we weren't alone. Chatting at water's edge were two couples. The women were both wearing dresses and gloves; one had a snood covering her hair and the other wore a fox stole. The men looked natty in suits. The poolside foursome, we learned, were docents from the castle's Living History program, dressed in period costume.
"It's a way to bring the house alive," Hoyt Fields, museum director of Hearst Castle, told me later. "We're a historic house and we try to add to the experience with the docents. It's reminiscent of the times when Hearst was in residence in the '30s."
Surrounding us, and throughout the building, were massive artworks and tapestries from around the world.
Originally known as Camp Hill, the site was used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Hearst's parents as a camping spot. In 1919, after inheriting the property, the Chief sought out Julia Morgan, a well-known San Francisco architect, and told her: "Miss Morgan, we are tired of camping out in the open at the ranch in San Simeon, and I would like to build a little something."
By 1947, Hearst and Morgan had created an estate of 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways. Casa Grande, with its spires resembling a Spanish cathedral, and the three guest houses are Mediterranean Revival style. At one point, Hearst assembled the largest private zoo in the world, with free-roaming zebras, camels, llamas, kangaroos, ostriches, musk oxen and yaks. Caged animals -- bears, lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars -- were located within a few hundred yards of the castle. The menagerie was designed to impress, amaze and entertain guests.
Hearst died in 1951 at 88 and his castle was donated to the state. Tours have been held for nearly 50 years, and several specialty ones have developed. This time of year, the garden tours are just beginning, and will run through October.
GETTING THERE
Hearst Castle is about 250 miles north of Los Angeles. Take U.S. 101 to San Luis Obispo; then follow California 1 north to San Simeon.
The Hearst Castle evening tours, on Fridays and Saturdays, run March through May 20 and September through December. Tickets cost $30, $15 for ages 6-17. The garden tours, which run April through October, cost $20-$24, $10-$12 for children.
Three other tours, concentrating on specific characteristics of the estate, also are available year-round. For reservations, call 800-444-4445 or visit
hearstcastle.com.
