The Old Spanish Sugar Mill - Amateur Camper - Camping Adventures for the Family

We woke up on a lazy summer Saturday and with a craving for pancakes. With not much going on we decided to take a little day trip to The Old Spanish Sugar Mill for the best pancakes around.

The Restaurant

The Old Spanish Sugar Mill Grill and Griddle House is a unique restaurant located in De Leon Springs State Park, Florida. It is a Do – It – Yourself restaurant, where you make your own pancakes on a built in griddle right at your table.

If you order the All You Can Eat Pancakes, which of course we did, you get two pitchers of pancake batter. The red pitcher is the Early American pancake batter made with unbleached white flour. The blue pitcher is the hardier mixture.

There are add-ins available for the pancakes that allow you to create your pancake masterpiece. Chocolate chips is my oldest son’s favorite add-in, he gets it every time.

My kids love coming here and taking turns making the pancakes.

Hot Golden Pancakes From The Old Sugar Mill

De Leon Springs State Park

The wait for the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant was close to two hours. Evidently Saturdays are a very popular day to visit the spring. This gives you plenty of time to explore the park while you wait for your turn.

The first thing you will notice when coming to De Leon Springs State Park are the massive oak trees. They are spectacular to view. I am amazed by their beauty every time we visit.

This is such beautiful state park to explore with so many things fun things to do.

There is a boat tour available that takes visitors on an eco/history tour of the park. This would be a great tour to go on during your wait for the restaurant.

There are a lot more activities available. Kayaking, fishing, snorkeling, hiking, and swimming to name a few. Camping is not available at this park, but this is a great park to explore if you are camping near by.

Helpful Tips

Expect a long wait for The Old Spanish Sugar Mill. Pack swim wear to enjoy the cool spring while you wait, but don’t go the restaurant soaking wet.

Explore the park while you wait. It has such a rich and fascinating history to learn about and is just a beautiful park to walk through.

Keep in mind the restaurant can get pretty warm inside with all the griddles going, especially in the summer.

My favorite time to visit is in the winter. The restaurant is still very busy, but you have a chance to see manatees in the water.

This is a great day trip if you live nearby or are visiting the area. We love to take friends and family here when they are visiting. It is such a unique, family friendly restaurant and state park to visit.