Celebrities have never really understood the concept of “modesty,” at least in comparison to the typical American. To most of you reading this article, modesty is three bedrooms and two baths. But to the average celebrity, that would be utter poverty, unless said rooms totaled around 20,000 square feet. And if you think the inside is bad, the outside is even worse.
Check out these 12 Incredible Backyards of the Rich and Famous. The next time you gripe about needing a new lawnmower or having to pull weeds, consider what these poor guys have to put up with, and see who has it worse!
1. Hearst Mansion, William Randolph Hearst
ROSE-BUD…
Media magnate William Randolph Hearst, on whom the famous film “Citizen Kane” was based, owned the stunning Hearst Mansion property after inheriting it from his father in 1919. The palatial estate consists of more than 250,000 acres of wilderness. Hearst himself was responsible for adding on to the home and turning it into a 165-room castle. Finding the “backyard” of Hearst Castle is difficult because the entire external property is a backyard. Consisting of more than 127 acres of pools, gardens, walkways, and terraces, you can do a lot more with this place than a simple game of Waffle Ball. For tour information, check out the Hearst Castle official website.
2. The Manor, Aaron Spelling
One look at that purveyor of smutty nighttime TV Aaron Spelling, and you’re probably wondering how a man so slight could need more than 56,000 square feet of living space (with 123 rooms). But that’s what “The Manor” of Holmby Hills in Bel Air has. The home was listed for sale in 2009 at $150 million and sold for nearly half of that in 2011 to Petra Ecclestone, who is the daughter of Formula One’s Bernie Ecclestone. Petra can now enjoy more than six acres of outdoor fun with a fountain, a swimming pool, a tennis court, and a lush green and expertly manicured backyard that is, quite simply, to die for.
3. Beverly Hills Mansion $35 million, TomKat
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes purchased this house for the sum of $35 million, and despite Cruise owning other properties, this is the one place that he, Holmes, and daughter Suri, tend to call home. It’s a nice place, but nothing too extravagant considering the Beckhams, Osbournes, and Courteney Cox, all live in the same neighborhood. This celebrity backyard is characterized by a swimming pool with a beautiful rock face and a large driveway, where the Mission: Impossible star can keep his many sports cars. Also contains a guest house.
4. Casa de Shenandoah, Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton, also known as “Mr. Las Vegas,” has killed with his nightclub act since the 1970′s. The Nevada-based icon’s 52 acre $38 million Casa de Shenandoah Ranch, which he hopes to turn in to a tourist attraction at some point in the near future, (think “Graceland West”) enjoys a two-level outdoor living area in his backyard with a modestly sized swimming pool. The real draw though is the property’s “exotic” menagerie which includes 54 Arabian horses, a miniature monkey, African cranes and cockatoos.
5. Beckingham Palace, David and Victoria Beckham
International football superstar David Beckham inked a deal with the L.A. Galaxy in 2007 to play Major League Soccer in the United States. The MLS deal has since fallen through, and now it looks like he and Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham may be moving back to the Hertfordshire estate that locals refer to as Beckingham Palace. Beckingham Palace is a former children’s home that sits on 24 acres. This celebrity backyard is vast and has a mixture of wilderness and recreation with endless amounts of trees, a duck pond, and cultivated greens that make it more attune to aristocracy than a pro-athlete and his ex-singer bride.
6. The Playboy Mansion, Hugh Hefner
While most of the Playboy Mansion’s draw centers on the ladies, one should not lose sight of the swimming pools-some for wading, some for diving-the tennis courts, and the breathtaking scenery that comprise the backyard of Hef’s extravagant mansion. The current mansion consists of 29 rooms and a total of 21,987 square feet sitting on 5.3 acres. Besides the pools, guests can check out the zoo and backyard aviary both of which contain dozens of exotic birds and rare animals. Hef relocated his operation to Charing Cross Road in Los Angeles from Chicago in 1974. The mansion has a 2011 estimated valuation of $54 million.
7. Graceland, Elvis Presley
Few people would want to buy a home if they knew the guy, who used to live there, died on the toilet. But change random dead guy’s name to “Elvis Presley,” and you’ve suddenly got a home that people can’t seem to stay away from. But while much is made of the pot-of-doom on which the King of Rock and Roll breathed his last, little is made of Graceland’s backyard. A trip to Memphis, Tenn., to see the 13.8 acre home, which is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world, reveals the Meditation Garden, where Elvis, his mother and father are buried. Also there is a memorial commemorating his twin brother, who died in childbirth. And while you’re there, you may want to swing by and see Presley’s private jet, “The Lisa Marie,” which was named after his daughter.
8. Maison de l’Amitie, Donald Trump
While Donald Trump mostly calls his Fifth Avenue Trump Towers home, he at one point owned this sprawling 80,000-square foot home that at one time was known as the most expensive mansion in the United States (estimated worth $125 million). Trump paid $45 million for it in 2004, and recently unloaded it for $95 million. Before then, however, he made frequent trips to the Palm Beach, Florida, residence, known as “Maison de l’Amitie,” where he would take advantage of the beachfront right there in his backyard and the 100-foot long swimming pool.
9. Florida Water Park, Celine Dion
The singer had a hit with the song “My Heart Will Go On” from James Cameron’s maritime adventure film “Titanic,” so it stands to reason that the backyard of her Florida home should be complete with an intricate network of waterslides and lazy river. Not pictured here is a replica of the Titanic wreckage, which we’re totally joking about by the way. Still, if you’re a water lover, then you could do a lot worse than stopping by Dion’s celebrity home for a backyard visit.
10. Bill Gates Ranch, Bill Gates
Medina, Wash., doesn’t have too much to be famous about, but the one thing that it can boast is a pretty big one. That’s where one of the richest men in America lives. That’s right, Bill Gates-founder of Microsoft-owns the 66,000 square-foot monstrosity, which is more small-town than living quarters. The “backyard” consists of a wetland estuary that contains bass and salmon. There are tennis courts and a pool that connects to the large indoor swimming spot, which allows guests to dive under a glass wall and emerge outdoors. Add to this a combination of forests and greens that are equal to some of the finest golf courses in the world, and you can understand why the property taxes on this place are more than $1 million per year.
11. The Promised Land, Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey’s $85 million, 23,000 sq ft home in Montecito, Calif., makes the White House look like an outhouse. With some of the finest landscaping of anyone on this list, and a fountain that you could easily mistake for a lake spewing out water in the back, this isn’t typically the type of home one would expect from a journalism major. Called “The Promised Land,” the 45-acre estate is certainly large enough to house the ancient Israelites. This celebrity backyard is also known for its intimate “tea house” and a rose garden designed and installed by master rosarian Dan Bifano.
12. East Hampton, NY, Estate, Jerry Seinfeld
Seinfeld’s character on the classic sitcom was very much a child in a grown man’s body. Now imagine you take that character and give him more money than God. What kind of home would he have? “A big one” would be an understatement. One look at the backyard, which boasts a baseball field, swimming pool, and what appears to be one hole of a golf course, tells the story. The odd thing is that Seinfeld did not build this home. He bought it from Billy Joel for $32 million.
Clearly we all can’t have a backyard like these 12 celebrity examples. But hey, it doesn’t hurt to dream. Did we miss one that should have made the list? Sound off in the comments below and let us know your thoughts.
Reposted from DecorativeShutters. THX for the share.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
