Sleepy Hollow

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.

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.

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.

• 🌍 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, 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. 
• 🌍 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.. 
• 🌍 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)

• 🌍 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. 
• 🌍 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). 

• 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.

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

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

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

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