"Casa Grande" Top 5 Page for this destination Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument Things to Do Tip by Dabs

Casa Grande is the main part of the Hearst Castle, built after the three guesthouses were completed. The four different tours cover different sections of Casa Grande, on tour #1 we saw the common areas on the main floor of the Casa Grande including the assembly room where Hearst's guests assembled before dinner, the dining room, the billiards room and the movie theater. The lower level of the Casa Grande resembles a church in many ways, particularly the dining hall with it's gothic choir stalls and arched windows. The original plans called for stained glass windows but Hearst changed his mind and decided it would be better to see the sky.

The guide pointed out the ketchup and mustard on the table and the paper napkins that guests would have used, after all this was a ranch ;-)

On tour #4 we visited the North Wing of the Casa Grande which is a more modern section of the Castle and decorated after the Great Depression.