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village in New York, United States
North America > United States of America > Mid-Atlantic > New York (state) > Downstate New York > Westchester County > Sleepy Hollow

For other places with the same name, see Sleepy Hollow (disambiguation).

Sleepy Hollow is a village in Westchester County in the state of New York. It was one of the settings for Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".

Understand

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The mill and millpond at Philipsburg Manor.

Founded as an agricultural center in Dutch New Netherland by Frederick Philipse. Philipse switched allegiance to England when the British evicted the Dutch, but his heirs were less astute in their political affiliations: 3rd generation Philipses continued allegiance to England during the American Revolution and were forced to forfeit their vast land holdings. After the war, the small hamlet around the Philipse's mill was renamed Beekmantown after a prominent patriot family. By 1874 the hamlet had grown into a village and incorporated as North Tarrytown. In 1996 residents of the village voted to change its name from North Tarrytown to Sleepy Hollow to distinguish it from the adjacent village of Tarrytown. Sleepy Hollow shares a zip code and a school system with Tarrytown, but the two villages are separate municipalities.

Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set here and in Tarrytown. In the story, "Sleepy Hollow" is the valley of the Pocantico River, now largely occupied by Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

Sleepy Hollow Chamber of Commerce provides tourist information and descriptions of seasonal events on its web site and in its storefront window: 1 Neperan Rd, Tarrytown, +1 914 631-1705.

Get in

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By plane

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By car

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  • Sleepy Hollow is easily accessible from the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada via interstate highways such as the New England and New Jersey Turnpikes (I-95) and the New York State Thruway system. The I-87 portion of the Thruway connecting Albany and New York City crosses the Hudson River in adjacent Tarrytown on the Tappan Zee bridge as does I-287, which connects with I-95 to the east. The Saw Mill River Parkway, which runs along the village's eastern flank, connects with the Taconic State Parkway to the north (to Albany and the I-90 east-west portion of the Thruway system) and the Henry Hudson Parkway into New York City. Route 9 connects Sleepy Hollow to the major highways in Tarrytown.

By train

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  • Metro-North Railroad - Hudson line. Downtown Sleepy Hollow is just about equidistant from the Tarrytown and Philipse Manor (Sleepy Hollow) stations. Express service between Tarrytown station and New York City's Grand Central Terminal is about 35 minutes, about 39 minutes to Philipse Manor station. Local rail service is available between other Metro-North commuter stations. Taxis swarm the Tarrytown station at the arrival of nearly every train, but Philipse Manor does not get the same attention. On all Metro-North trains on-board fares are subject to a stiff surcharge, so buy your tickets at the station or at the vending machines located on the southbound (to New York) platform at the Tarrytown station. Metro-North's "One-Day Getaways" discount package is available to Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate. Enterprise has a car rental office for Metro-North stations.
  • Amtrak. Long distance connections are available in New York City's Penn Station and at Metro-North's Croton-Harmon station. Amtrak connections available to VIA Rail Canada.

By boat

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By bus

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  • Bee Line System. Westchester County's bus service provides access to White Plains and other locations in the county. Schedules and route maps are available on-line and at the Tarrytown and Philipse Manor (Sleepy Hollow) train stations.

Get around

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Map
Map of Sleepy Hollow

If arriving by train from New York City and planning only a day trip within the central business district, you can get about on foot or by local taxi. NY Waterway tours have their own bus transportation between destinations. If you stay in local hotels or motels, a car becomes something of a necessity. Broadway (aka Route 9) is the main north to south route through the village.

Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow

The main attraction is Sleepy Hollow's association with Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", so visit the old churchyard where the Headless Horseman purportedly rests. If you look hard you might find the headstone of Catriena Ecker Van Tessel whose anglicized name, Katrina Van Tassel, appears in Irving's story.

  • 1 Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground, 430 N Broadway. The church has been in continuous use since around 1690, except for a few years during the American Revolution. Free guided tours of the burying ground from Memorial Day Weekend through the end of October, Sundays at 2PM. Self-guided tour book Tales of the Old Dutch Burying Ground is sold at the Philipsburg Manor museum shop. This is the spot where Ichabod Crane sought sanctuary from the Headless Horseman. If you happen to be here after dark, keep in mind that ".the Headless Horseman. it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the churchyard." Park inside adjacent Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. 
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
  • 2 Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, 540 N Broadway, ☏ +1 914 631-0081. Gates open M-F 8AM-4:30PM, Sa Su 8:30AM-4:30PM. Pay a visit to Washington Irving, Andrew Carnegie, Walter Chrysler, William Rockefeller, and Elizabeth Arden in their final abodes. The style of architecture ranges from Victorian rural at the cemetery's south end to grand neo-classical mausoleums at the north end. Free maps are available in literature boxes at the cemetery office and at the cemetery's south gate. 
  • 3 Philipsburg Manor Upper Mills, 381 N Broadway, ☏ +1 914 631-3992. April 1 to October 28 daily (closed Tu) 10AM-5PM, last tour at 4PM. October 29 to December 31 daily (closed Tu) 10AM-4PM, last tour at 3PM. March weekends only 10AM-4PM last tour at 3PM. Historic Dutch manor and mill restored to its appearance in the late 17th/early 18th century. In "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", Ichabod Crane saunters beside the manor's millpond with the "country damsels" of the neighborhood. This is also the departure point for tours of Kykuit. Adults $10, senior (62 +) $9, children (5-17) $6.. 
  • 4 Rockefeller Estate. Open mid-May through the beginning of November, weekdays 10AM-3PM (closed Tu), weekends 10AM-4PM. Guided tours of the main house, Kykuit, and its gardens and art galleries, are available through Historic Hudson Valley. All Kykuit tours depart from Philipsburg Manor, 381 N Broadway. adults $22, seniors $20, children under 17 $19 (no children under age 10). (updated Oct 2020)
  • 5 Union Church of Pocantico Hills, 555 Bedford Rd, ☏ +1 914 631-8200 (tour info), +1 914 631-2069 (info on services). Open April to December, weekdays 11AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 2-5PM, closed Tu. The stained glass windows by Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall were commissioned by members of the Rockefeller family. The rose window was the last work by Matisse before his death. Self guided and guided tours. Adults and children $5. Union Church of Pocantico Hills (Q7885533) on Wikidata Union Church of Pocantico Hills on Wikipedia 
  • 6 Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, 630 Bedford Rd, ☏ +1 914 366-6200. Formerly part of the Rockefeller estate, promotes regional agriculture through its educational programs and its demonstration gardens and greenhouses, Pocantico Hills (Sleepy Hollow). 
Patriot's Park
  • Follow Ichabod Crane's route. Fans of Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" can follow the route of Ichabod Crane from the center of adjacent Tarrytown north into Sleepy Hollow. But don't expect to find the "Western Woods" or anything else from the 1999 movie Sleepy Hollow. Tim Burton's production is only loosely based on Irving's story and was filmed largely in Hertfordshire, England. The original bridge is long gone, but there's a rustic bridge inside Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. 
  • Sleepy Hollow Cemetery walking tours. Day and evening guided tours introduce some of the famous and infamous residents of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, including Washington Irving, author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," industrialists Andrew Carnegie and William Rockefeller, and others. 
  • Old Croton Aqueduct. Go hiking or bicycling on the aqueduct's trailway. The original water supply to New York City is now a walking trail that runs from Croton-on-Hudson in the north to Yonkers in the south. Notably, the trail passes through the Lyndhurst estate in the south end of Tarrytown, and very near Washington Irving's Sunnyside. Over the 180 years since it was built, portions have disappeared from the downtown areas of several river towns, including Sleepy Hollow (part of Sleepy Hollow High School is built on top of the aqueduct, forcing a detour behind the school). 
  • Hike, horseback ride, fish, or go birding. At Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Equestrians can park horse trailers at the park's main entrance (in case you wish to make your own horseback ride through Sleepy Hollow). Trail maps are available at the park visitor center on Route 117, one mile east of Route 9. There is a parking fee at the main entrance, but no fee if you enter trails from Old Sleepy Hollow Road (see online map) or the Rockwood Hall portion of the park located west of Route 9. The park includes portions of the valley of the Pocantico River, which is what Irving dubbed Sleepy Hollow in his famous tale. 
  • Take a guided kayak tour on the Hudson River. Hudson River Recreation, ☏ +1-888-321-HUDSON (483766). Tours depart from Kingsland Point Park, Palmer Ave. Seasonal.

Annual events

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The weekends prior to Halloween are filled with events that tie in to "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". If possible, make advanced reservations as most events fill quickly. Adjacent Tarrytown, setting for portions of the legend, is also home to numerous October events. To avoid disappointment, call in advance to confirm dates and times. Most events require reservations or advance tickets.

  • Horseman's Hollow, Philipsburg Manor, 381 N Broadway, ☏ +1 914 631-8200. Historic Dutch manor and mill are transformed into a spooky landscape. 
  • Reading of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Old Dutch Church, ☏ +1 914 631-4497. There's no better place to hear the story than in the very churchyard it made famous. Reserve tickets through The Reformed Church of Tarrytown. 
  • Haunted Hayride, ☏ +1 914 366-5100. Village of Sleepy Hollow. 
  • Tours of the Old Dutch Burying Ground. Free tours of the church on Saturdays and Sundays, June through October. The church and its 2-acre burying ground appear in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. 

The central business district, encompassing Beekman Avenue and the adjacent portions of Broadway (Route 9), offers restaurants and shops.

Budget

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  • 1 Hollywood North Pizza, 109 Beekman Ave, ☏ +1 914-631-7406, . Su–Th 10AM–10PM, F Sa 10AM–11PM. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 2 Ambar Restaurant, 60 Clinton St, ☏ +1 914-631-6393. M–Th 10:30AM–9PM, F Sa 10:30AM–9:30PM, Su 10:30AM–8PM. A hole-in-the wall Dominican-American that offers good food at reasonable prices. 10AM-7PM daily, closed Tuesdays. Formerly the Cuban-American Corona's Lunch. 
  • 3 Chuchok Thai, 404 Old Broadway, ☏ +1 914-909-5390, . F-Su 4–9PM, Tu W 4–9PM. Excellent authentic Thai food, the best in the area by far. As of Dec 2021, it is open for pick-up only due to pandemic. A small, family operation, it’s so popular you should call in your order well in advance. They also accept orders by email before 3PM. (updated Dec 2021)

Splurge

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  • 4 Blue Hill at Stone Barns, 630 Bedford Rd, ☏ +1 914 366-9600. Su W Th 5-10PM, F Sa 5-11PM. Blue Hill is an upscale restaurant located at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, a model farm adjacent to Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Appropriate attire required. Prix fixe three-course dinner $65, prix fixe four-course dinner $75. 

Drink

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Alcohol

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Sleep

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There are no places to sleep in the town, but nearby Tarrytown has some options.

Stay safe

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Dial 911 from any telephone for emergency police, medical, and fire services.

Go next

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In adjacent Tarrytown, visit sites related to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and browse the numerous antique shops.


Routes through Sleepy Hollow
Albany ← Briarcliff Manor ←  N  S  → Tarrytown → New York City
Croton-on-Hudson ← Briarcliff Manor ←  N  S  → Tarrytown → New York City



This city travel guide to Sleepy Hollow is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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