NY 88 originally extended south to the city of Canandaigua when it was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York.

It heads north on Newark Street, running along the west edge of several residential blocks before leaving the village and descending into a narrow cut to pass under the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90 or I-90).

Past the Thruway, the route curves to the northwest, briefly following the outlet of Canandaigua Lake across rolling farmland.

[citation needed] In Newark, NY 88 follows Main Street past several blocks of homes to the village's commercial center, located adjacent to the Erie Canal.

The route continues on, crossing the canal and serving two more commercial blocks prior to passing through another residential section of the village.

[citation needed] Between Newark and Sodus, NY 88 swerves to the west and east as it navigates the hilly Wayne County terrain, passing through the hamlets of Mud Mills and Fairville and loosely paralleling the Ontario Midland Railroad in the process.