7 Tiny Towns In New York Where HUGE Things Happened

Possibly the biggest little town you can find in New York, Lake Placid may only be home to roughly 2,000 residents but that doesn't mean huge things aren't continuously happening here. One of the only destinations in the world to host the Olympics twice, this tiny village hosted the Winter Olympics in both 1932 and 1980. Today visitors can still experiences pieces of Olympic history by visiting places like the Ski Jumping Complex, Bobsled and Luge Complex and the Olympic Museum.

Home to 4,000 happy New York residents in this rural region, the small town of Bethel is where the famous 1969 Woodstock Festival was held. In current times the town is visited by residents from all over who come to check out the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (an amazing outdoor music venue) and the Museum at Bethel Woods where you can learn more about local history and the history of the Woodstock Festival.

If you were simply driving through Neversink, you might not think much of this small town. But those who are familiar with this small town's history know that if you scratch the surface, you'll find fascinating pieces of history here! Neversink was one of two small towns to be sunken back in 1953 in order to create the Neversink Reservoir. Drive along Route 55 and some say on days where the reservoir's water is low, you can still see pieces of the town that remain below the water's surface.

A small town out in Nassau County, Oyster Bay is where you can visit Sagamore Hill - the home to America's 26th President. A scenic area where you can dive right into history, the very small town is also where you can find Theodore Roosevelt's final resting place in Youngs Memorial Cemetery. A national historic site that's open to visitors, Sagamore Hill offers tours and has the grounds open every day from sunrise until sunset. How many towns have such presidential history?

A unique small town down in Rockland County, Tappan is filled with head-turning history. Tappan is home to New York's oldest restaurant, The '76 House that's listed on our National Register of Historic Places and has a history that dates back to the late 1600s. The charming restaurant has been visited by famous war generals like George Washington and other famous figures, maintaining a nostalgic decor that will take you back in time. It's not every day that you get to stand at a bar that George Washington once stood at!

A town that's full of a huge variety of history, there's so much to learned about Historic Lewiston. Located just a half-hour north of Buffalo, Lewiston was actually one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad. Local residents broke the law and help fugitive slaves safely make their way into Canada, with a monument in town paying homage to this part of our history. Lewiston also has a huge historic waterfront along the lower Niagara River, with many historic structures still standing by the water today.

One of our favorite towns to visit out in the Finger Lakes, Penn Yan is home to roughly 6,000 residents. The small town sits along the shores of the northern end of Keuka Lake's east branch and is where you can visit the World's Largest Pancake Griddle! In 1987 they used this almost 30-foot diameter pancake griddle and an actual cement truck (yes, we're serious) to create the world's largest pancake! If you've never driven past the enormous griddle you'd never know this small town had such a huge thing happen. Today you can see the griddle on display in town on the side of Birkett Mills Factory.