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A LOCAL RESIDENCE LIKE NO OTHER:
RPTA STUDENTS VISIT HEARST CASTLE

By Hannah Baker (RPTA '13), Staff Writer

Students in Kendi Root’s RPTA 214: Introduction to Travel and Tourism class in winter quarter were afforded quite an opportunity in getting a chance to spend a day in the life of William Randolph Hearst on a class trip to the famous Hearst Castle.  Located on 270,000 acres in beautiful San Simeon, California, the Hearst Castle hosts daily tours for students, travelers, and sightseers alike.  Root’s class received a personal tour from Dr. Dan Eller, a Journalism professor at Cal Poly and Director of Communications for Hearst Castle. While all tours of Hearst Castle are special, receiving a tour from someone as knowledgeable as Eller, was a unique experience.

 

Upon their arrival at the Castle, students were welcomed with an informational video that gave a detailed background of the Hearst legacy and how the castle came to be.  From there, Dr. Eller escorted the class to the marvelous pools, grounds, game rooms, dining room, and grand rooms.  All in all, the tour lasted over an hour.

According to Jackie Garcia (RPTA '14), a top highlight of the field trip was watching the informational film at the start of the tour.  “I have been to Hearst Castle three times in the past to see the sights, but learning the actual story behind the castle and William Hearst’s past gave me a different perspective of Hearst Castle and why it is such an amazing tourist attraction.” Garcia also added, “People come from all over the world to see Hearst Castle, and it is no doubt one of the biggest tourist attractions to the Central Coast.  The opportunity to have a personalized tour with my class was wonderful.”  

When walking throughout the inside of the castle, students were not allowed to touch any household items in order to preserve Hearst’s original pieces. However, the tour of the Neptune pool gave students a chance to sit down and take in all of its surrounding natural beauty.  This was the first trip to Hearst Castle for Alyssa Quiroz (RPTA '14). She reflected on the experience, “Seeing the castle up front and personal was amazing.  Sitting in the sun by the pool and looking out onto the cliffs was really incredible.”  Quiroz also added how she would highly recommend the tour to everyone.  “I think it would be great for other classes within the RPTA major to tour Hearst Castle. Not all Cal Poly students get a chance to see the main tourist attraction of the area, but providing tours for RPTA students is very relevant for the subject matter that we are studying.”

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