Hearst Castle (Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument)

Bernard Shaw said San Simeon was "what God would have built if he had the money." The castle — formally La Cuesta Encantada, The Enchanted Hill — was conceived by publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst and architect Julia Morgan, built between 1919 and 1947, and never finished. The 115-room main house, three guesthouses, two pools, and 127 acres of gardens now operate as a California State Park. Tours run daily; the estate draws around 750,000 visitors a year.