Travel rec's for Penn Yan, New York

[curiouskitkatt]

I will be travelling to  Penn Yan, New York and am looking for recommendations for places to see and eat. Thank you in advance! Of course the more quirky, the better. 

[Steve R.]

Well, its almost 300 miles from Brooklyn and I had to look it up to even know that so I'm not going to be very helpful here.  But, if you're there on a Wed night, it seems that "Seneca Lake Duck Hunters" http://www.senecalakeduckhunters.net is open to the public and has "wing night".  Looks about as quirky as it gets out there.

 

eta: since its pretty darn close to Watkins Glen, I can't help but wonder if you're going to the 50th Woodstock Anniversary concert there (in August).

[curiouskitkatt]

15 minutes ago, Steve R. said:

Well, its almost 300 miles from Brooklyn and I had to look it up to even know that so I'm not going to be very helpful here.  But, if you're there on a Wed night, it seems that "Seneca Lake Duck Hunters" http://www.senecalakeduckhunters.net is open to the public and has "wing night".  Looks about as quirky as it gets out there.

 

eta: since its pretty darn close to Watkins Glen, I can't help but wonder if you're going to the 50th Woodstock Anniversary concert there (in August).

OMG. I had not thought of that, but that just made my day. I havent booked my stay yet, but now I will plan on being there during Woodstock. SWEET!

[lekkerwijn]

There are some really wonderful drinking and dining options in the region. Its much like visiting Napa and Sonoma - there are quaint towns throughout the Finger Lakes with a interesting things to see and do. It is a lot of driving. Summer and Fall are insanely gorgeous in the region. As a Cornell alum who grew up in the region, there is a lot to love.

There are three wine trails and are worth investing time in- Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka.  Wine Traveler has a great Instagram account with lots of ideas and resources  https://www.winetraveler.com/new-york/finger-lakes-wine-region/  But you can also find great beer, spirits and mead. Wine quality has really improved exponentially in the past 10 years.

The state parks in the Finger Lakes are some of the most pristine in the region particularly Taughannock Falls and Watkins Glen

Not sure how committed you are to Penn Yan, but I think Ithaca is much nicer. Its about an hour drive away. I saw you were excited about Watkins Glenn, its pretty much half-way between the two towns. Ithaca has much nicer hotel options, fantastic restaurants, hiking and more cultural options including museums and theater. In season, the Ithaca Farmer's market rivals anything in California. Cornell also makes some truly wonderful ice cream at their student-run dairy store and their orchard store has interesting experimental fruit and vegetable varietals. The Vegetarian at College Town Bagels (everything bagel, veggie cream cheese, tomato, melted muenster) is the hangover breakfast that got me through many a biochem lab. (N.B. I'm obviously very biased in my zealot-like nostalgia)

Other fun things to do: Visit the Mackenzie-Childs factory and store in Aurora, the Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, the Corning Museum of Glass, Watkins Glen Racetrack

I'm assuming you are driving up there but if you are flying - consider flying in and out of Rochester so you can spend an hour or two at the flagship Pittsford Wegmans (just trust me on this one) and make a stop at the Strong Toy Museum.