Hearst Castle’s Neptune Pool recently reopened after a four-year restoration project. The nearly 90-year-old pool—which is one of the 115-room estate’s most recognizable features—is now reopen for tours. To celebrate, Friends of Hearst Castle and California State Parks have partnered together for an exclusive event on Sunday, Oct. 21.
Open to the public, 250 guests can buy tickets to attend the Grand Reopening: Sunset Soirée & Swim—and 50 lucky guests will get to swim in the pool at sunset. VIP tickets for the swim are sold out (they started at $1,300), but other tickets (ranging from $325–$375) for the poolside event are still available as of press time. To get added to the wait list for the VIP swim, you can send an email to friends@friendsofhearstcastle.org with “Swim Wait List–[Your Name]” as the subject.
Guests will be escorted up the Enchanted Hill to the lavish pool party, which will include handcrafted cocktails, Central Coast wines, hors d’oeuvres, jazz music, and a “unique entertainment finale” in the Neptune Pool. And, of course, gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean below are included.
As reported in the San Luis Obispo Tribune, two highly coveted opportunities to swim in Neptune and the stunning indoor Roman Pool will be auctioned off during the soirée. “At our Twilight on the Terrace event three weeks ago, the Neptune swim went for $8,000,” Friends of Hearst Castle’s Sue Rausch told The Tribune. “The Roman Pool swim sold for $5,000 … and then someone else matched that bid for a second Roman Pool party.”
Proceeds from the event will help to continue vital preservation efforts of Hearst Castle and its renowned artwork and gardens.
