2024 Gatlinburg, Tennessee Pancake Week Celebrates Sweet History
I think one of the best events in Owensboro is our annual Burger Week. Supporting local restaurants and an excuse to enjoy some delicious hamburgers?! Yes, please! By the end of the week, my body starts begging for a salad, but indulging for a good cause? You can count me in for sure. Did you know that Gatlinburg, TN is home of an annual Pancake Week?
Pancake Capital of the South
Some folks have dubbed Gatlinburg as the Pancake Capital of the South. Because the area was overrun with loggers at the beginning of the 21st century, the locals who housed them had to come up with an easy way to feed them all. The flapjack saved the day. In 1934, preservation efforts began in the Great Smoky Mountains and the loggers turned into tourists who also, of course, loved pancakes.
Gatlinburg Pancake Restaurants
If you've ever been, you know the infamous Pancake Pantry was founded here in 1960 and is a staple of the downtown strip. It is known as Tennessee's first specialty pancake shop. There are lots of restaurants that feature beloved breakfast foods, so it makes perfect sense that the pancake is special to Gatlinburg.
Gatlinburg Pancake Week
Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a favorite vacation destination for lots of Kentuckians, so y'all may already know this, but I recently saw where Visit Gatlinburg hosts an annual Pancake Week that is just like our Burger Week. This year, the celebration is February 19th-25th. Visitors are encouraged to download the Visit Gatlinburg App to receive exclusive information about the week and enter to win special prizes. Including a clever scratch-and-sniff pancake sticker.
Gatlinburg Pancake Week Participating Restaurants
Source: Gatlinburg.com Gatlinburg History Class Pancake Edition
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Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll
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