Penn Yan

Penn Yan is the county seat of Yates County and the largest population center on the lake. The name, in the local account, derives from an 1810 compromise between settlers from Pennsylvania and New Englanders who could not agree on what to call the new village. Main Street is one of the more functional small-town main streets in the Finger Lakes: Amity Coffee, Burnt Rose Wine Bar, Keuka Candy Emporium, Arts Center of Yates County, Laurentide Beer Company, and Birkett Mills all operate within four blocks of each other.

The Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities around Penn Yan are the most visible in the Finger Lakes region. Horse-drawn buggies on the county roads between Penn Yan and the western townships are frequent from spring through fall; Route 14A south of the village passes through the densest concentration of Amish-operated farms and roadside stands. Oak Hill Bulk Foods on Route 14A is the most visited non-winery stop in Yates County and serves as an informal introduction to this community for first-time visitors. The Windmill Farm and Craft Market on Route 14A, open Saturdays April through November, was founded in 1987 when a group of Mennonite farmers envisioned a cooperative marketplace. The first building went up by barn-raising. It now runs to 44 acres and nearly 200 vendors, with peak weekly attendance between 8,000 and 10,000: Amish and Mennonite baked goods, quilts, furniture, and produce alongside local wine and craft beverage producers.

The Keuka Outlet Trail begins at the Penn Yan waterfront and follows the old canal and railroad corridor 6.6 miles to Dresden on Seneca Lake, passing two waterfalls and the site of the original Wilkinson-era mills. The Yates County History Center on Chapel Street holds the most complete documentation of the Public Universal Friend's community in the region.