Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow => is a village in Westchester County in the state of New York in the United States of America.

Understand

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 continues to share a zip code and a school system with Tarrytown, but the two villages are separate municipalities. Sleepy Hollow Chamber of Commerce provides tourist information and descriptions of seasonal events on its web site and in its storefront window: 54 Main Street, Tarrytown, +1 914-631-1705, =>.

Get in

By plane

• Westchester County Airport, =>, +1 914-995-4860. The closest airport, about 20 minutes drive. Car rentals are available.
• Stewart International Airport, Newburgh, +1 845-564-2100, =>. Offers an alternative to the congestion of the 3 major airports, but at present offers few direct flights.
• Newark Liberty, JFK, and LaGuardia airports: Local taxi and livery cars offer regular service to and from 3 major international airports.

By car

• Sleepy Hollow is easily accessible from the northeastern United States of America via interstate highways such as the New England and New Jersey Turnpikes (I95) and the New York State Thruway system. The I87 portion of the Thruway connecting Albany and New York City crosses the Hudson River in adjacent Tarrytown on the Tappan Zee bridge as does I287, which connects with I95 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 I90 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

• 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 Tarrrytown station.
• Amtrak, =>. Long distance connections are available in New York City's Penn Station and at Metro-North's Croton-Harmon station.

By boat

• NY Waterway, =>, +1 800-53-FERRY, runs seasonal, weekend trips from Manhattan to Sleepy Hollow. Packages deals are available to Historic Hudson Valley properties Philipsburg Manor => and Kykuit =>, the Rockefeller estate.

By bus

• 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 station.

Get around

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.

See

Sleepy Hollow is famous for its association with the 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 one Katrina van Tassel, with its Dutch spelling of her given name.

• Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, 540 N Broadway, +1 914-631-0081, =>. Final resting place of Washington Irving, Andrew Carnegie, Walter Chrysler, William Rockefeller, and Elizabeth Arden. Maps available at the cemetery office and at the south gate.
• Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground, 430 N Broadway, =>. Free guided tours of the burying ground from Memorial Day Weekend through the end of October, Sundays at 2PM. Self-guided tour booklet 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 in Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. If you happen to be in Sleepy Hollow after dark, keep in mind that "...the Headless Horseman... it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the churchyard." Located across the street from Philipsburg Manor.
• Philipsburg Manor, 381 N Broadway, +1 914-631-3992, =>. 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.
• Kykuit, =>. The Rockefeller Estate in the hamlet of Pocantico Hills on the outskirts of Sleepy Hollow. All tours depart from Philipsburg Manor.
• Union Church of Pocantico Hills, 555 Bedford Rd, +1 914-631-820 (tour info), +1 914-631-2069 (info on services) , =>. Stained glass windows by Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall.

Do

• 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.
• 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). Hudson Office Supply =>, +1 914-631-0192, at 10 Main St. in adjacent Tarrytown sells maps of the trail.
• Hike, horseback ride, fish, or go birding at Rockefeller State Park Preserve =>. Equestrians can park horse trailers at the park's main entrance. Trail maps are available online => or 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.
• Take a guided kayak tour on the Hudson River. Hudson River Recreation, +1 888-321-HUDSON, =>. Tours depart from Kingsland Point Park. Seasonal.

Annual events

The weekends closest 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.

• Legend Weekend, at Philipsburg Manor, 381 N Broadway, +1 914-631-8200, =>. Historic Dutch manor and mill are transformed into a spooky landscape. Family harvest activities during the day give way to evenings of ghostly apparitions and characters out of Hudson Valley folklore.
• Reading of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at the Old Dutch Church =>. 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, +1 914-631-4497.
• Haunted Hayride, Village of Sleepy Hollow, +1 914-366-5100, =>.
• Tours of the Old Dutch Burying Ground =>, Legend Weekend tours correspond with the dates of Legend Weekend at Philipsburg Manor restoration. Before you gallop over to the 17th century Dutch manor for an evening of spooky fun, visit the setting of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Buy

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

• Philipsburg Manor Gift Shop, 381 N Broadway, +1 914-631-3992, =>. Most extensive line of Sleepy Hollow and Headless Horseman souvenirs in the village.

Eat

Budget

• Horseman Diner, 276 N Broadway, +1 914-631-2984.
• Fleetwood Pizzeria, 70 Beekman Avenue, +1 914-631-3267
• Hollywood North Pizza, 109 Beekman Avenue, +1 914- 631-7406
• Corona’s Lunch, 194 Beekman Avenue, +1 914-631-6393

Mid-range

• Sushi Town 279 N Broadway, +1 914-332-8687.

Splurge

• Blue Hill at Stone Barns, 630 Bedford Road, Sleepy Hollow, +1 914-366-9600, =>. A working farm and tantalizing restaurant with an on-site 22,000 sq ft greenhouse in Pocantico Hills. There are also hiking trails and an informal cafe on the grounds.

Drink

• J. P. Doyle's Restaurant & Public House 48 Beekman Avenue, +1 914-631-3015, =>

Sleep

At present there is no overnight lodging in the village of Sleepy Hollow itself. Find accommodations in adjacent villages and towns.

Budget

Mid-range

• Courtyard by Marriott, 475 White Plains Rd, Tarrytown, +1 914-631-1122, =>.
• Doubletree Hotel, 455 S Broadway, Tarrytown, +1 914-631-5700, =>.
• SpringHill Suites by Marriott, 480 White Plains Rd, Tarrytown, +1 914-366-4600, =>.

Splurge

• Castle on the Hudson, 400 Benedict Ave, Tarrytown, +1 800-616-4487, =>.
• Marriott, 670 White Plains Rd, Tarrytown, +1 914-631-2200, =>.

Stay safe

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

Get out

In adjacent Tarrytown, visit sites related to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

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