Discover FLX

Town Guide Keuka Lake

Your Guide to Penn Yan, NY

Penn Yan is the quiet heart of Keuka Lake country — a small county seat where buckwheat pancakes are a point of pride, the diner has been voted best in upstate New York, and the surrounding wine trail offers some of the Finger Lakes most personal tasting experiences.

Penn Yan does not try to impress you, and that is precisely what makes it impressive. This small village sits at the north fork of Keuka Lake, serving as the Yates County seat and the functional hub for the surrounding agricultural community. The name itself tells a story — a combination of Pennsylvania and Yankee, reflecting the two groups of settlers who founded the town. It is a place where history is not curated for tourists; it is just part of the landscape.

The most famous landmark in Penn Yan might be the most unexpected: Birkett Mills, the worlds largest producer of buckwheat products. The mill has been operating since the 1700s, and buckwheat pancakes are something of a local religion here. The Penn Yan Diner, a classic small-town institution, has been voted among the best diners in upstate New York, and it earns the reputation with honest cooking and a counter where regulars and visitors sit side by side. The Yates County seat also means a handsome courthouse and a downtown that has the solid, unpretentious feel of a working community.

Where Penn Yan shines for visitors is its position as the gateway to the Keuka Lake Wine Trail. The wineries around Keuka Lake tend to be smaller and more personal than the larger operations on Seneca Lake — the kind of places where the person pouring your wine might be the person who made it. The vineyards climb the steep hillsides above the lake, producing excellent Rieslings and other cool-climate varietals. The lake itself, with its distinctive Y shape, is one of the most beautiful in the region and far less crowded than the bigger lakes.

Penn Yan connects to the broader Finger Lakes as the region in miniature — agriculture, winemaking, lake life, and small-town community, all without the tourist infrastructure that can sometimes dilute the experience elsewhere. From here you can drive south along either branch of Keuka Lake to Hammondsport, head east to Seneca Lake, or simply settle in and enjoy a town that has not changed its essential character to accommodate visitors. It remains itself, and that is more than enough.

More Guides

Seneca Lake

Your Guide to Geneva, NY

Geneva sits at the north end of Seneca Lake where historic architecture meets a booming food and wine scene. This is the Finger Lakes town that has it all — lakefront parks, world-class dining, and a walkable downtown that feels like it was built for weekend wandering.
Cayuga Lake

Your Guide to Ithaca, NY

Ithaca sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, a college town with big-city culture, stunning gorges, and a food scene that has drawn national attention for decades. If the Finger Lakes had a creative capital, this would be it.
Seneca Lake

Your Guide to Watkins Glen, NY

Watkins Glen is a tiny village with an outsized reputation. Home to one of the most spectacular state parks in the eastern United States and a world-famous raceway, it sits at the southern tip of Seneca Lake as the gateway to Finger Lakes wine country.