In celebration of its 50th birthday this July, IHOP has teamed up with Minor League Baseball for a cross-country summer road tour. IHOP’s Discover America Road Tour will visit Minor League Baseball parks in 27 cities, and at www.ihop.com there is an online sweepstakes.

From May 31 through early September, an IHOP-branded recreational vehicle (RV) will travel more than 8,500 miles and visit 61 Minor League Baseball games around the country bringing cheer, games, and giveaways. In conjunction with the Road Tour, IHOP restaurants will offer nine new pancake flavors throughout the summer, with three featured pancake flavors each month.

IHOP baseball cards featuring all nine new pancake flavors will be distributed to fans at the games with a coupon for a “buy one, get one free” Discover America combo meal. Additionally, the Most Valuable Pancake (MVP) mascot will entertain the crowd, give away t-shirts, and organize games. The first wave of the Discover America Road Tour will stop in Jacksonville, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Charlotte and Durham, North Carolina; Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia; Trenton, New Jersey; Pawtucket, Rhode Island; and Toledo, Ohio.

For those IHOP fans who can’t make it to the games, IHOP’s 50th birthday celebration continues at www.ihop.com with the Discover America Sweepstakes. Here, beginning June 2, fans and guests can vote for the “most valuable” pancake flavor or play state-themed trivia for a chance to win prizes. Three grand prize winners will receive a weekend trip for two to New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. Additional prizes include $50 IHOP gift cards and baseball memorabilia contributed by participating Minor League Baseball clubs. The sweepstakes starts June 2, 2008 at 12:01 a.m. ET and ends September 7, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The site will be continually updated with tour highlights as the RV makes its way across the country.