Totally Cali Tours was started with fun in mind first; after all that’s what the Cali vibe is all about. We love to share this magical place, and have extensive knowledge of local history as well as all the cool spots to hang out and find excellent food and drink. Our tours feature trained guides (much more than just a “driver”), who love to make sure you have a blast, as well as learn a little bit while you wander through paradise. All of our tours incorporate a range of insights from local history, architecture, pop culture and beyond. We like to think of our tours as artisanal in nature- they have been crafted thoughtfully to live in your memory as one of the best days of your life. We invite you to sit back, relax and let us show you the history, food, wine, beer and people who make the Santa Barbara region so special.
Meet the experience curator and owner
Melissa Hopf grew up in California, and though she has lived other places, California has always been in her heart. Melissa’s passion for food, drink, music and good times are all a part of her daily life. A few of her favorite activities are songwriting, eating fresh guacamole with chips, and surfing (can’t do all three at the same time, but if she could she would).
Melissa takes the historical component of Totally Cali Tours experiences very seriously, and is constantly researching, in order to provide more interesting and detailed information to our guests. She is also a graduate of the International Tour Management Institute in San Francisco, as well as a certified Ambassador to Santa Barbara.
The vision for starting Totally Cali Tours was to create a tour that felt as footloose and free as the California she’s familiar with; one where guests can let their hair down and sing a little, or a lot!
In order to weave together the best tour experiences for our guests, Melissa searches for the standouts of our abundant local food, wine and beer industries. Once she’s lined up the coolest and spots in the local scene, she layers in stories and landmarks from the rich history of Santa Barbara, and then a tour is born. Before any of these experiences go live, she invites all of her best friends for day out and about to taste and test what she’s put together. The result of her months of planning each tour is creating the best day ever for our guests. We hope you’ll agree