U-pick apples, a corn maze, cider donuts, an Apple Festival—and another reason to love September around Keuka Lake
There are certain things that tell you fall has arrived around Keuka Lake.
The mornings get a little cooler.
The hills begin thinking about changing colors.
You find yourself reaching for a sweater when you head out with that first cup of coffee.
And then there are the apples.
Bushels and baskets of apples.
For generations, apples have been part of the rhythm of autumn here in the Finger Lakes, and at
Wager’s Cider Mill in Penn Yan, that tradition has been part of the Wager family story for more than half a century.
But this fall, they're adding something new.
And I have a feeling quite a few families are going to be making some new autumn memories because of it.
🍎 For the First Time—You Can Pick Your Own at Wager’s
Beginning
Saturday, September 5, Wager’s is opening its
Hoyt Road orchard to the public for the first time for
u-pick apples.
And yes…
Honeycrisp will be among them.
That alone may be enough information for some of you to grab your apple basket and head for Penn Yan.
For more than 50 years, Wager’s has grown and handpicked the apples sold in its store.
But as a new generation of orchards has matured, owners
Geoff and Kaylee Wager realized they could finally do something customers had been asking about for years:
Invite them into the orchard.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome our customers into the orchard for the first time,” Kaylee said. “Many of our regulars have asked if they could pick their own apples at the farm.”
There is something wonderfully old-fashioned about that.
Walking between rows of apple trees on a September afternoon.
Finding the one.
Twisting it gently from the branch.
Maybe eating one before you ever make it back to the car.
I won’t tell.
🌽 And Then There’s the Corn Maze…
Because apparently Wager’s decided simply letting us loose in an apple orchard wasn't enough fall fun.
They've also created their first
apple-themed corn maze.
The new farm experience opens
Saturday, September 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hoyt Road orchard in Penn Yan. Visitors should follow the signs for orchard parking.
After opening weekend, regular hours will be:
Fridays: Noon–6 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Corn maze admission is
$8 for adults, $5 for children, and free for little ones age 2 and under.
There will also be fall snacks and refreshments, new seasonal drinks, hard cider, and selections from local breweries and distilleries.
In other words, you could make an afternoon of it.
And around here, that's exactly how fall should be enjoyed.
🍂 Then Comes the Apple Festival
If you really want to celebrate apple season, circle
Saturday, September 19 on your calendar.
Wager’s will host its
Third Annual Apple Festival from
9 a.m.–5 p.m. at the cider mill’s retail location at
256 E. Main Street in Penn Yan.
Admission is free.
And this isn't simply a stop-in-and-buy-a-bag-of-apples kind of day.
They're turning it into a full-fledged celebration of the harvest season.
There will be around
20 local makers and vendors, including Bluff Point Blooms, Kass’ Kettle Corn, Shiek’s Maple Products, October Farms Sourdough, Oh Fudge, Rise and Shine Food Truck, Carilynn Creations, Aurora Bath & Beauty, Pieces of You, Betelgeuse Pottery, Wild Rebels Hat Bar, Balloon Art by Walt Crum, After Hours Stitch Co., Sunbeam Sister Slimes and others.
A little Keuka Roots tip: Vendors will be accepting cash, so tuck some into your pocket before you go.
For the kids, there will be
free face painting and games, while everyone can enjoy tastings throughout the day.
And then we get to the really important part.
🍩 Cider Donuts.
There will be
mini apple pies, cider donuts, sweet cider, cider slushies and hard cider, along with free apple and cheese tastings.
Now, I don't like to tell anyone how to live their life.
But if you put a warm cider donut in one hand and a cup of fresh cider in the other on a crisp September day…
you're doing fall correctly.
Because sometimes the best parts of living around Keuka aren't complicated.
They're cider donuts.
They're apples.
They're kids with painted faces.
They're conversations with local makers.
They're wandering through a corn maze and pretending you absolutely know where you're going.
And they're the little traditions that become part of the way we remember a season.
🍎 More Than an Apple Stand
Part of what makes Wager’s story so special is that this isn't a new business trying to recreate an old-fashioned Finger Lakes experience.
The history is already there.
Wager’s Cider Mill is a
third-generation family business.
Geoff and Kaylee purchased the cider mill in 2020 from Geoff’s father, Craig, continuing a family tradition that has been growing right alongside those apple trees for decades.
Inside the cider mill is another wonderful piece of that history—an
antique apple press still used to make cider the old-fashioned way.
Throughout the season, the store will carry around
26 varieties of apples, along with seasonal plums, peaches, grapes and cherries.
The retail store is now open for the season
seven days a week from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. through December.
And this year, for the first time, we don't just get to bring home the apples.
We get to walk among the trees where they're grown.
🍂 A Keuka Roots Reflection
Maybe that's what I love most about this story.
Around Keuka Lake, some of our best places aren't simply businesses.
They're family stories.
One generation plants.
Another tends.
Another dreams about what might come next.
And eventually, something planted years ago grows big enough to invite the rest of us in.
This September, the Wager family is quite literally opening the orchard gates.
So grab the kids.
Grab the grandkids.
Grab your favorite fall-loving friend.
Pick a few Honeycrisps.
Get yourself lost in a corn maze.
Buy the cider donut.
Actually…
buy two.
Take the long way home and notice that first hint of color beginning to creep across the hills.
Because summer around our crooked lake may get much of the attention.
But those of us who live here know a little secret.
Fall around Keuka is pretty hard to beat. 🍎🍂
🍎 WAGER’S CIDER MILL — FALL 2026
U-Pick & Apple-Themed Corn Maze
📍 Hoyt Road, Penn Yan
🍎 Opening Day: Saturday, September 5
⏰ 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Regular Orchard Hours:
Friday: Noon–6 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Corn Maze:
Adults — $8
Children — $5
Age 2 & under — FREE
🍂 THIRD ANNUAL APPLE FESTIVAL
📅
Saturday, September 19
⏰
9 a.m.–5 p.m.
📍
Wager’s Cider Mill, 256 E. Main St., Penn Yan
🎟️
FREE admission
Because parking at the cider mill is limited, Apple Festival visitors will be directed to
Sherman Street, with overflow parking available at the
Yates County Fairgrounds.
Keuka Roots™
Small Towns. Big Stories. One Crooked Lake.™
Stay Rooted. Stay Keuka.™
