Hearst Castle touring time

I checked through 3 pages of archives, and couldnt find an answer to my specific question before I would bug you all again. :)

I also posted this in another forum because I wasnt sure exactly where to post it.

We are staying in Morro Bay..We would like to plan a trip to Hearst Castle and want to reserve tour tickets ASAP. August 1st.

We would also like to visit the Elephant Seal rookery.

I know we should reserve tour 1, and see the movie.

How long will this all take including driving time.

I was thinking of maybe an 11am tour, but I can rearrange, I just want enough time to see the seals and also sightsee a bit before dark. Is this time frame I have ok? What time should I leave Morro Bay? We are staying at the Blue Sail Inn..We will be in the area very soon..7/30/07...Thanks!

Hearst Castle touring time

Morro Bay to Hearst Castle is a 30-40 minute drive. Leave an hour earlier than your scheduled tour just in case the road delays you some how. Believe me, it can happen.

If your tour starts at 11 am, count on at least 2 hours. The elephant seals are less than 10 minutes north of Hearst Castle, so you have plenty of time for all of that plus that drive through Cambria%26#39;s lovely homesites.

Hearst Castle touring time

kibblesmom..thanks! We were wondering if there was an area of beautiful homes we could drive around and see. My husband being a builder appreciates looking at high dollar homes and the architechture(sp).

This is the California Central Coast. All the homes here are high dollar, but a lot of the higher end homes are actually pocketed in with the lower end homes.

The Cambria area I previously mentioned is one of my favorite places to drive through to look at the beautiful homes there, but if you want to see other areas, I%26#39;m hard pressed to think of much. But I%26#39;ll give you a few places for you to try.

The village of Shell Beach (actually part of Pismo Beach... they share the same zip code) has a hodgepodge of homes ranging from bungalows to French Provincial architecture. One of our most stunning ocean front homes is the Chapman House on Ocean Drive. Take the Spyglass exit off the 101 freeway and make a right turn directly into the left hand lane. Turn left on to Shell Beach Road until you come upon Vista Del Mar, Turn right and go down to the end of the street. The only way through is to turn left. You%26#39;ll drive past several ocean front front homes on the left side. The ocean will be to your right. You%26#39;ll pass a small park that is gradually being eroded away with each major storm. There will be a home just ahead on the right that has a lighthouse looking structure, The Chapman House will be directly behind it. If you peer through the gate you%26#39;ll see wonderful gardens with fountains, fruit trees and even a windmill. That%26#39;s it%26#39;s other name.... The Windmill House.

The story of how it%26#39;s current owner came into this home is a legendary one. A customer of mine owns a home across the street from Mr. Chapman and shared the story with me. I have since heard the story being told in a local shop by someone I don%26#39;t know.

Apparently the home was owned by a farming family near the San Joaquin Valley. When the parents passed away, the heirs decided to auction off the family ';beach house';. Sadly for them, they placed no contingencies on the sale, which happened to occur on a holiday. Interestingly, only Mr. Chapman showed up for the auction. He bought this multi-million dollar property for $1.00 a square foot!! That came out to $30,000!!!!!!!

The nearby neighborhood has many charming homes, which are quickly disappearing into large scale mansions themselves, with new owners tearing down existing property and building mega-homes on these small lots. Some are nice, some look like they don%26#39;t really fit the area. But it is interesting to see the changes.

There are also some new homes on the other side of the freeway. Just go back to Spyglass where you exited and drive under the freeway overpass. Some of these homes sit in a gated community, but the gate may be open during the day. At any rate, there is access to another project past FMcClintock%26#39;s Saloon %26amp; Dining House you should be able to drive through. There may even be model homes open for touring.

Thanks so much for all this valuable information!

I would love to buy a beach home for 30,000! wow! I am so looking forward to this much needed vacation.

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