Hearst Castle Sees Plummeting Visitor Numbers, Officials Citing Multiple Factors
Once a major attraction, the historic California estate is struggling to draw tourists, who are opting to bypass the $35 ticket for other coastal attractions.
Central California’s Hearst Castle, once a significant revenue generator for the state park system, has experienced a sharp decline in visitor numbers in recent years. Tourists are increasingly bypassing the $35 entry fee to the opulent estate, opting instead for the scenic coastal route that passes directly by its location.
Officials attribute the downturn to a confluence of factors, including weather, road closures, and rising gas prices. The Mediterranean Revival castle, constructed between 1919 and 1947 by publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, previously attracted between 700,000 and 800,000 visitors annually. Its grounds have served as a filming location for movies such as "Spartacus" (1960) and Lady Gaga’s music video for "G.U.Y." (2014).
California State Parks officials indicate that 2019 was the last "normal" year for visitor attendance, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The castle temporarily closed in 2020 due to the pandemic and did not reopen to the public until the spring of 2022, partly due to ongoing road repairs.
Further access challenges arose from the closure of a 90-mile section of Highway 1 near Big Sur. This stretch was impassable from January 2023 to January 2026 due to landslides and experienced further closures in August and September of this year following the Plaskett Fire.
Visitor numbers have been in decline since the castle's reopening. During the 2024 peak season, 178,181 people visited, a figure that dropped to 162,758 the following year. While this year saw a slight increase to 168,133 visitors, it remains significantly lower than the 274,025 visitors recorded in 2019.
"There are a number of impacts that can relate to overall attendance," Dan Falat, district superintendent for California State Parks’ San Luis Obispo Coast District, told SFGATE. "Highway 1 [closure] comes into play. Overall tourism comes into play. We were closed for over two years, and yes, things have changed. Changes with international travelers. Domestic travel [patterns are] different. Gas prices. It’s hard to put all factors into one reason."
In an effort to rekindle interest, State Parks has introduced new tours, including one focusing on the castle's architect, Julia Morgan. However, some local business owners report a broader slump in tourism to the area. Luis Gonzalez, a San Simeon resident and hotel manager, described the current period as the worst for local tourism since he moved there in 1989, noting that the post-COVID years have been particularly challenging due to business closures and lingering impacts from the pandemic and subsequent road issues.