Whether you’re big on brunch or love a bountiful breakfast, you may want to add this small town just a few hours from the District to your weekend getaway bucket list asap!
The town in question, Williamsburg, Virginia, is just under three hours from Washington, D.C., and will be hosting its first-ever Pancake Festival this year in late September.
That town has also launched a ‘Pancake Trail‘, a mobile pass that encourages visitors to check into multiple pancake houses and other local businesses in exchange for perks like festival admission, discounts, and pancake-themed merch.
How Williamsburg was crowned ‘Pancake Capital of the World’
A popular travel destination known as the ‘Historic Triangle’, Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, are often described as the “birthplace of America”, which results in a surge of tourism every year.
The surge in travelers staying at older-fashioned hotels that typically lacked the capability of offering on-site meals, coupled with the nature of the unique ‘day-trip’ culture in the area, has historically led visitors to seek out a hearty, filling breakfast that minimizes the need for an overpriced lunch while visiting some of the historic sites in the area during the day.
The ensuing culinary culture of competitive crowds, all seeking to start their day with a big breakfast, resulted in a slow but consistent ‘explosion’ of pancake houses in Williamsburg to keep up with the demand of these frenzied flapjack fanatics.
Today, there are nearly a dozen dedicated pancake houses in a city with a population of just about 15,000.
Here are a few of the most well-known:
- Colonial Pancake House
- Capitol Pancake House
- Honey Butter’s Kitchen
- Mama Steve’s House of Pancakes
- Shorty’s Diner
- Astronomical Pancake House
- Newport Pancake House
- National Pancake & Waffle House
Williamsburg’s first-ever Pancake Festival
The ‘Pancake Capital of the World’ will be hosting its first Pancake Festival over the course of two days, on September 26th and September 27th!
The two-day event is being put on by Visit Williamsburg and CultureFix, who promise to have delicious food, lively entertainment, and family-friendly fun.
Day 1 – Friday, September 26th
Kicking off on National Pancake Day, the event’s opening day will take place in the afternoon from 5:30 to 8:30 pm at the Williamsburg Hellenic Center and feature a live performance by the Tidewater Drive Band, a ‘Pancake Lab’ to decorate your own flapjacks, and a selection of adult beverages available for purchase.
Day 2 – Saturday, September 27th
On day 2, the event moves outside to take over Duke of Gloucester Street in Merchants’ Square during the Farmers Market.
The event will start at 10 am and run until noon, featuring stacks upon stacks of pancakes, a dachshund ‘sausage sprint’, and of course, a highly anticipated World Pancake Eating Championship, where professional eaters like Miki Sudo and Nick Wehry compete in a pancake showdown.
How to get tickets to the pancake festival
The days of the pancake festival are being split into two separate events.
For Day 1, tickets are as follows:
- Adult General Admission (21+, Includes a drink ticket) – $20
- Non-Drinker General Admission – $15
- Children 12 and under + College Students with IDs – Free
For Day 2, the event is actually completely free to attend, so there’s no need to purchase a ticket or reserve a spot! However, given that it might get crowded, it may be a good idea to get there on the early side.