A Day in Solvang

The city of Solvang, located about 35 miles north of Santa Barbara, is known as “The Danish Capital of America.”

During a visit to Solvang this season, i scoped out the best places to see for tourists and adventurers. First on the list was Paula’s Pancake House. The pancake house opened in 1986, with the intent to build a reputation and menu around a variety of Danish pancakes and traditional American breakfast.

The restaurant was crowded and had multiple groups waiting outside. The counter experience was a bit jarring. There was a lot of action going on across the entire counter and neighboring tables. Waitresses juiced oranges for their fresh squeezed orange juice and a nearby soda fountain machine was a frequent spot for employees to fill their drinks. I even got a couple cups thrown my direction throughout the meal from the employees moving too quickly.

The menu was fairly priced, with portions set to the perfect size. They had both Dutch and regular pancakes. I stuck with the regular pancakes, which were wonderful. If you order sausage instead of bacon though, be prepared for a full-size sausage, not just sausage links.

Overall, the meal and service were great. Paula’s Pancake House definitely satisfies the pancake craving.

Paula’s Pancake House

Around the small Danish town are window shopping stores like, As Seen On TV, Fairy & Frog, Esko Esko, Flea Market Finds, True Addiction, Dowdle Gallery, Pride and Joy, ONEderChild, and Jule Hus Inc.

The Santa figure when you enter Jule Hus Inc.

The town is often flooded with people exploring the little town, which makes it difficult to maneuver through the sidewalks. Despite the busy venue, most of the stores are not too crowded.

A small bookstore in the town, the Book Loft. is a cute and endearing shop featuring countless new book arrivals and also is home to various book signings throughout the months. In October, the book signing was for mystery writer Tony Piazza.

The second floor of the book store showcased their “Solvang Used Books” section. There, they had used books ranging from religious to fictional books. The second floor was also home to the Hans Christian Andersen Museum, which houses an exhibit centered around the famous author.

Andersen was originally born in Odense, a small town in Demark, and he later became famous in Copenhagen for his fictional fairy tale writing. He produced many traditional children’s books including, “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “Thumbelina,” and “The Princess and the Pea”. The museum had multiple drawings of Anderson, from different artists’ perspectives, original manuscripts from Anderson, and different renditions of “The Little Mermaid.”

It was captivating to witness how one person could build and embody the name for such a small town. “The Little Mermaid” is also one of my favorite movies and books, so it was a special privilege to engage with all the different versions of the book and story and see and how it’s expanded since the original version.

Solvang proved to be a fascinating place to visit. The town offers diverse layers of tasty food and exciting culture that created a worthwhile afternoon of memories for visitors and tourists.