For Private, Custom and Domestic Tours, Try ToursByLocals

With most international travel on pause, many people have created a second domestic bucket list of places that are more easily accessible — possibly even in their home state — and that’s where ToursByLocals comes in.

This private tour marketplace is reminding American travelers that the U.S. is full of bucket list-worthy opportunities with no passport needed. And, thanks to the company’s inherently socially distanced business model, ToursByLocals has also been able to operate its customizable in-person private tours safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As Americans continue to travel domestically this spring and summer, private tours are the perfect way to travel safely while making familiar places unique and special again,” said Paul Melhus, founder and CEO of ToursByLocals. “This winter, we saw a significant uptick in private tour bookings in Hawaii; Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, S.C.; and Miami, and we're expecting another big summer for national parks including Yellowstone National Park and Grand Canyon National Park as people take the time to explore the amazing landscapes within their own borders."

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Whether clients want to explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, soar over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter or cruise along California’s famous Pacific Coast Highway in a classic convertible, ToursByLocals connects clients with local guides who provide what Melhus describes as “thoughtfully designed tours that allow families to discover new layers of beauty, history and culture all across the country.” 

Driving Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu With ToursByLocals
A friend and I recently set off on a private tour of Los Angeles in a cherry-red 1972 Mercury Monterey convertible with Stan Malkov, a ToursByLocals guide. 

“ToursByLocals has multiple tour guides, and those guides offer different tours,” Malkov said. “So, when people book a private tour, they’re booking a specific person — like a local friend who can hang out with them and share stories.”

The first place our new local friend took us to was one of his favorite wineries — the family-owned and operated Cielo Farms located in the Santa Monica Mountains. Billed as Malibu's most exclusive wine-tasting experience, Cielo's reservation-only tasting room offers more than 20 wines that aren't available anyplace else, including the Cielo Estate label made from grapes grown on the property. 

After learning about the wines from Matt, a Cielo Farms tasting room host, we enjoyed the views with a glass of Cielo Estate Malibu Rouge (a blend of merlot and petite sirah that Matt said “put them on the map.”)

After the winery, we headed down the hill to Pacific Coast Highway, arguably one of the most scenic routes in the U.S., for a drive past the Adamson House, a historic house and garden built in 1929 at Malibu Lagoon State Beach; the Getty Villa, a re-created Roman country home that houses a collection of Greek and Roman antiquities; and the iconic Santa Monica Pier. Currently, all three are closed due to COVID-19, but Malkov noted that he often stops to take guests inside or, if they prefer, he will drop them off to explore on their own.

From the pier, we toured the beach cities of Santa Monica and Venice with photo ops at Venice Beach and three of the Venice canals. Malkov explained that there were originally 30 miles of canals in the area, but now only about two miles of the quaint waterways remain. 

We also checked out some of the colorful street art for which this part of L.A. is known. Of particular note is the “Luminaries of Pantheism” mural by artist Levi Ponce, which features portraits of 16 notable people who held pantheistic philosophies, including Albert Einstein, Emily Dickinson, Nikola Tesla, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ralph Waldo Emerson, W.E.B. Du Bois and Lao Tzu.

By the end of the tour, I had spent a few hours cruising in an extremely cool convertible through some of L.A.’s most interesting and picturesque areas — some which I’ve never seen, and others that I’ve missed visiting this last year. It was the perfect way to spend a beautiful spring day in L.A., but it also inspired me to add a few more places to my own domestic bucket list. 

“In Los Angeles, we have almost 20 million people, and for the last year, most of them have been at home, so they're ready to get out and see the city,” Malkov said. “Especially in a classic car.”

The Details
ToursByLocals
www.toursbylocals.com