If you’ve ever traveled to Europe, chances are you’ve seen some amazing castles. If you walked through the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles or the Thrown Room of Neuschwanstein Castle, you may have sarcastically joked that you would like to live in a castle when you return home to the United States.

Well, that’s exactly what happened to William Randolph Hearst. The only difference is Hearst was the owner of a huge media conglomerate and was a multi-millionaire, and you aren’t. (O.K. I’m assuming you aren’t a gazillionare running your own media firm. If you are, please accept my apologies, and feel free to e-mail me so I can reply with further apologies and/or send you my resume.) At any rate, my point is Hearst had the money and the sure tenacity to make good on his wish to own a castle.

Hearst toured Europe extensively with his mother and once more during his honeymoon. He was so impressed by the castles, that he called San Francisco architect Julia Morgan and asked her to “build a little something” on the 250,000 acres of ranchland in San Simeon, California that he inherited from his father.

The result, appropriately enough, is Hearst Castle. The complex boasts four massive buildings, two pools, sprawling gardens covering 127 acres, and even featured a private zoo. (To picture this, think of Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, but bigger and less creepy.)

Casa Grande was Hearst’s primary residence on the compound. Covering 60,645 square feet, the building features 38 bedrooms, and 41 bathrooms. It houses its own movie theater, 14 sitting rooms and a billiard room. Hearst’s own private suite took up nearly the entire third floor of the castle and featured a massive private library with 4,000 books and a collection of antiquities.

Like many rich men of the area, evidence of Hearst’s wealth hung on castle’s walls, as he was an avid art collector. Hearst adorned his castle with Greek vases dating to 800 B.C., priceless paintings, antique furniture and tapestries.

While Hearst would frequently host lavish parties at the compound, it wasn’t all fun and games. Whenever one of his underlings would do something to upset him, the stern Hearst would “invite” them to the castle. Once the nervous employees arrived, Hearst would purposely avoid seeing them for days. His underlings would simply wait in the luxurious yet foreboding castle in nervous anticipation of their meeting with their ill-tempered boss.

But thankfully, the atmosphere will be more relaxed when you tour. You may even catch yourself wishing you lived in a castle like it.

Tours are offered daily; expect Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Advance reservations are required. To make a reservation of for more information visit www.hearstcastle.com or call (800)444-4445

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