San Simeon is the home to Hearst Castle, the palatial extravagant estate of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, the setting of "Citizen Kane". Constructed from about 1919 to 1947, most of the buildings were designed by San Francisco architect Julia Morgan. They include 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, and swimming pools, decorated with volumes of the finest art and collectibles. On the nearby coast, at Piedras Blancas, there is a relatively new colony of elephant seals that you can view without the restrictions associated with the better known Ana Nuevo State Reserve. Please note that images of the Hearst Castle on this page cannot be licensed for commercial purposes.
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