Sunsets in San Diego:)

Hearst Castle

The Castle
In 1865, George Hearst, a wealthy miner, purchased 40,000-acres of ranchland that included the Mexican Ranchos of Piedras Blancas, San Simeon and Santa Rosa. In 1919, his only son, William Randolph Hearst, inherited the land from his mother, Phoebe Apperson Hearst. By then the ranch had grown to encompass 250,000 acres.


Originally known as "Camp Hill," its wilderness offered a place for family members and friends to "rough it" on camping trips. Despite elaborate arrangements with separate sleeping and dining tents, Hearst envisioned more comfortable accommodations. His simple instructions to famed San Francisco architect Julia Morgan in 1919: "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"


Hearst and Morgan's collaboration was destined to become one of the world's greatest showplaces. As they were planning and constructing his dream home, Hearst renamed the rocky perch from which it rose "La Cuesta Encantada" - The Enchanted Hill. By 1947, Hearst and Morgan had created an estate of 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways.


The estate's magnificent main house, "Casa Grande," and three guest houses are of Mediterranean Revival style, while the imposing towers of Casa Grande were inspired by a Spanish cathedral. The blending of the architectural style with the surrounding land, and Hearst's superb European and Mediterranean art collection, was so seamless that world-renowned architectural historian, Lord John Julius Norwich, was moved to say that "Hearst Castle is a palace in every sense of the word."

Fun Times at The Madonna Inn

Madonna Inn

For nearly 50 years the charm of the Madonna Inn has been one of California’s landmark attractions and today it is a sought after lodging, meeting and convention destination. The Madonna Inn offers an unforgettable experience with fine dining & entertainment, unique overnight lodging, banquet rooms for intimate weddings & receptions, exclusive clothing, gift & wine shops and limo service. Located on the grounds: 110 rooms each with a special theme, a picturesque European-style pool & state of the art exercise room, a celestial Day Spa and the largest convention center on the Central Coast. Enjoy these impressive amenities...attracting visitors looking for a resort-style retreat just minutes from downtown San Luis Obispo.

Many people have asked for a history of the Madonna Inn, so with this brief story, we will attempt to tell you how it all began.

The first 12 rooms were completed December 24, 1958, and were given complementary for that night’s stay, to a very surprised group of travelers. An additional 28 rooms were quickly built, making a total of 40 rooms available to travelers.

Demand for public areas to handle the rooms encouraged us in April 1960 to start construction of the main inn, which was to eventually consists of the wine cellar, bakery, coffee shop, dining room, the cocktail lounge, banquet rooms, ladies’ boutique, men’s gift shop, and the gourmet shop.

One hundred ten unique rooms now exist, each decorated differently to suit many individual tastes...rock rooms, waterfall showers, rock fireplaces, European fixtures, and fine furnishings to name a few.

The Madonna Inn sits on approximately 2,200 acres and the large rocks used in the construction came from these surrounding acres. Some of the larger rocks weigh in excess of 200 tons each.

The leaded glass work throughout Madonna Inn and the large etched glass windows in the coffee shop, almost things of the past, were custom made for the Inn. The leaded glass inserts in the windowed area facing the large fireplace are of particular interest, since each insert illustrates one of the various Madonna enterprises: construction, lumber and cattle.

The hand-carved marble balustrade in the Gold Rush dining room came from the Hearst Castle. All copper and brass items were etched and/or shaped from original designs and fabricated right on the premises. The 28-foot gold tree fixture in the main dining room was made from electrical conduit left over from building projects as well as from left over remnants of copper.

Several wood carvers were brought in for the specialty work of hand carving the doors, beams, railings and the many other carved adornments you see here at the Madonna Inn.

We hope you, your families and friends will enjoy our facilities and that you will continue to do so for many years to come
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Road Trip to The Madonna Inn ( Solvang)

" Velkommen" in Danish.
(No passport needed to visit the little Danish replica village.)
The gentle rolling hills, windmills, quiet streets, horse drawn carriages, family bicycles, golf courses, horse ranches, wineries, Danish bakeries, authentic Danish costumes worn by some shop keepers, Danish smorgaasbord restaurants, museums of racing and Solvang history, in the Danish atmosphere and architecture are waiting for you.
We welcome your visit to SolvangCA!

Our Road trip started in Solvang, where we went wine tasting and tried on the cutest little Dutch shoes in the world. We had a great lunch then we were off to the Mad dona Inn.

Beautiful Seaport Village in San Diego

Visitor Information




General Information:

A 14 acre waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment complex recreating a harbor side setting of a century ago. Includes 54 one of a kind shops, 13 casual dining eateries, 4 fine dining waterfront restaurants. Opened in 1980.
Location

Downtown San Diego on West Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway. Adjacent to Embarcadero Park North. 5 minute drive from the airport & cruise ship terminal. The boardwalk connects with the Convention Center, Marriott Hotel & Marina, Manchester Grand Hyatt and Midway Museum.
Total area
Over 90,000 square feet.
Features

Four miles of meandering cobblestone pathways bordered by ponds, lakes, fountains and colorful, lush landscaping. Quarter mile boardwalk along the San Diego Bay.

Restaurants

Four bay-view dining restaurants. Thirteen international eateries. Shops

Unique clothing, gifts, hats, mugs, kites, wind chimes, music boxes, jewelry, hot sauces, art galleries, bookstore/coffeehouse and more!
Entertainment

A monthly calendar features live musical entertainment including blues, jazz, country and swing. A talented cast of street performers and artisans—caricaturists,face painters, balloon sculptors, oriental brush art—complete the line up. 1895 Antique carousel with hand carved animals by Charles Loof.
History
Seaport Village is built on landfill over Punta de los Muertos (Point of the Dead) where the Spanish expedition of 1782 buried those who had died of scurvy. In later years it was a railroad yard where goods and other products were unloaded from ships and loaded aboard trains for shipment east. Seaport Village broke ground in 1978 and opened in 1980.

Sailing San Diego