Hearst Castle- Heartland Charter School

Registration window: November 16, 10:00 a.m. -November 18, 7:00 p.m.

Tours at Hearst Castle provide students with an interactive experience that sparks interest and stimulates their curiosity. They will hear the story and history of Hearst Castle while observing and analyzing pieces of William Randolph Hearst’s extensive art collection. Students will see how history connects to the world we live in today through many primary and secondary sources, authentic historical objects, and exhibits.

We will be taking the Grand Room Tour. This overview of Hearst Castle offers an itinerary through the main building called Casa Grande: the Assembly Room, Refectory, Morning Room, Billiard Room, and Theater. Tours begin outdoors with several stairs to negotiate on the terraces. We will also be seeing the Gardens, the Neptune Pool, and the Roman Pool. The tour is approximately 70 minutes long, and we will also watch a movie that is approximately 40 minutes long.

There is lots of walking involved in this tour. Bring a jacket in case it is cool. We will watch a movie for an overview of Hearst Castle at 1:30 pm. The movie lasts for 45 minutes, and then we will take the bus up to Hearst Castle. The bus departs at 2:40 pm sharp.

Ticket cost:

• Children ages 0-4 FREE
• Students ages 5+ $8.00
• Chaperones $11.00

*The price for tickets paid with a credit card will be slightly higher due to the Ticketbud processing fee.

May I pay using my student's planning amount? Yes! You can pay for your student's ticket and one chaperone ticket with your student's planning amount. Reminder: Only one chaperone ticket per family may be purchased using planning amounts. 

What are the check-in procedures? I will be at the visitor center wearing Heartland attire. Check-in at 1:00 p.m.

Who may attend? This field trip is aimed at students in 2nd-12th grade; however, all ages are welcome. Every attendee needs a ticket. This includes infants. One chaperone per family, max. If you purcahse more than one chaperone ticket, you will not receive a refund.

Is there on-site parking available? There is plenty of free on-site parking for cars and recreational vehicles at the Visitor Center, located off Highway 1

Can we pack snacks or lunch for this event or field trip? You are welcome to bring your lunch to eat beforehand. They have tables and places to eat lunch. (You could also look at the elephant seals beforehand, which are close by)

How do I contact the event organizer?

Name: Michele Whitney

Phone number: 559-593-3909

Email address: [email protected]

You must have a student enrolled at Heartland Charter School to attend this event. We verify enrollment for all attendees. If the venue and the field trip lead allow it, siblings of an enrolled student may attend. Each sibling must be registered through Ticketbud. This includes infants. Children who are not the siblings of enrolled students cannot attend.

How to Reserve Your Spot

To officially join us on this field trip, you must complete both steps of our registration process. Please follow these directions carefully:

Step 1: Check out on Ticketbud

Complete the checkout process here on Ticketbud. This initiates your reservation. *If you want to pay with your student funds, please reserve tickets labeled "Paid with student funds through Procurify". You will need to place an order in Procurify for all tickets paid with your students' planning amounts.

• It is important that you provide the name of the person who will be using each ticket when registering. Don't reserve all of your tickets using your name. (We do not recommend using the option that allows you to copy data from another attendee.)
• Confirmation: You will receive an email confirmation from Ticketbud once your order is complete.
• Tip: If you do not see the email within a few minutes, please check your Spam/Junk folder. If you cannot find a confirmation email from Ticketbud, you did not successfully reserve tickets.
• Action: Once you have your confirmation, move immediately to Step 2 for any tickets paid with your students' planning amounts.

Step 2: Place your Order in Procurify for tickets paid with your students' planning amounts.

Your spot is not confirmed until an order is placed in the Procurify system for any tickets paid with your students' planning amounts. You do NOT need to place an order in Procurify for tickets paid out of pocket or for free tickets.

• Search: Log in to Procurify, search the name of this field trip in the catalog, and complete your order as you would for any other educational resource.
• The chaperone ticket paid with student funds needs to be charged to the account of a student attending the field trip.
• Deadline: You must place your Procurify order within 3 days of your Ticketbud registration.
• IMPORTANT! Registration Requirement: To avoid losing your spot, both steps must be completed. Failure to place an order in Procurify within the three-day window will result in removal from the attendee list and a manual deduction from your account.

Heartland events are designed for families to attend together. Students need to be accompanied by an adult chaperone. If your student will be attending with another family, please email the field trip host to let them know once you complete your registration. Chaperones must be the legal parent or 25 years and older. All chaperones must be healthy, ethical people with the skills to be responsible adult chaperones.

Please review our Field Trip Refund & Attendance Policy!

To ensure we can provide these experiences to as many students as possible, please review our commitment and refund guidelines before registering.

All Sales are Final

• No Refunds: Once a ticket is reserved or purchased, we cannot offer refunds for any reason, including illness, scheduling conflicts, or changes of plans.
• Non-Transferable: Tickets are tied specifically to the student account used at registration. They cannot be sold, gifted, or transferred to another family.

The "No-Show" Policy

Because Heartland pre-pays many venues based on Ticketbud headcounts, an unused ticket is a direct loss of school resources.

• Fund Deduction: If a family reserves a spot and does not place an order in Procurify, the student's planning amount will still be manually deducted from their Procurify account, and the student will be removed from the attendee list.
• Loss of Access: Families who are frequent "no-shows" may lose access to future field trip registrations. We track attendance to ensure that limited spots go to families who are committed to attending.

Professional Courtesy: If an emergency arises and you truly cannot make it:

• Notify the Lead Teacher: Please email the organizing teacher as soon as possible.
• Why it matters: This prevents the entire group from waiting at the venue entrance for your arrival, keeping the educational program on schedule for everyone else.

Our Goal: By only registering for events you are fully committed to, you help us keep our field trip program sustainable and open to all students.