My family loves the central coast of California. It is one of my favorite places in the world. I spent a couple of days in the Central Coast with the family two weeks ago and we had an amazing time. My husband and I would  visit he coast several times a year before we had children, but had never made the trip up since we’ve had kids. We took a road trip up Hwy 1 and made Hearst Castle one of our stops.

I know what you are thinking, there is no way my kiddos would survive the tour. I had the same belief, but I was pleasantly surprised and learned a few tricks! First and foremost take tour 1, The experience. It is a short tour and plenty of wiggle room for the kids. The kids loved it from the very beginning. We started the tour by watching the Building the Dream movie. My almost 5 year old and 3 year old were perfectly still during the entire movie. It is a must to really understand the history and beauty of the castle.

After the movie, we lined up for our tour and the kids were giddy with excitement because they were going to ride the bus to the top of the hill. The kids loved the ride up and so did we because of the incredible views. The kids were in awe of the pool and the grounds. They loved taking in the views and of course we also enjoyed every minute of it. There is stair climbing and places to walk around and the kiddos loved being able to get their wiggles out. I have to admit that my son did want to touch things and sometimes had a hard time staying on the carpet on on the inside part of the tour. I was starting to worry a bit, when one of the wonderful workers told me about their kids room. It is found only on tour 1 and it is a room inside the Castle where you can unwind for  a bit, change diapers, nurse and let the kids take a breather. We stayed there for a few minutes and were able to rejoin our group and finish off the tour.

We had a great time and I believe it is possible and downright fun to tour the Castle with the kiddos. The best part is that the little ones 5 and under are free. Youth Tours from 6-17 are $12 and adults are $24.

We had a fantastic time as a family and I would definitely recommend it to others. I think sometimes I do not give my children enough credit and they seem to surprise me at how well they are able to handle things. If you are planning your summer vacations and are planning a trip to the Central Coast make sure to add this to your itinerary For additional information head here.