The Village Of Sleepy Hollow New York

Few places are better for autumn and Halloween fun than the hamlet of Sleepy Hollow in New York state.

Sleepy Hollow celebrates hard through the month of October with an impressive array of parades, festivals, block parties, and other Halloween-themed events. There’s even a good chance you’ll run into the Headless Horseman.

Yes folks, this picturesque village with a little less than 10,000 residents, is the real-life setting of Washington Irving‘s infamous 1820 tale: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow“.

The story describes a character known as the Headless Horseman who was believed to be a soldier decapitated by a cannonball during the American Revolution. In place of a head, he often sported a jack-o-lantern.

The story is set in 1790 and tells how the Horseman’s remains are buried in a churchyard in Sleepy Hollow. He is said to rise from his grave every night to search for his missing head.

While the legend is chilling, modern-day residents have a great deal of fun with the concept of a town haunt.

Sleepy Hollow is actually a village in the larger town of Mount Pleasant, located on the east bank of the Hudson River, about 20 miles north of New York City.

Despite being deemed as one of the most haunted places in the world, Sleepy Hollow is statistically one of the safest places in America.

The picturesque, family-friendly village is surrounded by lush woods that turn deep shades of orange and red in the fall. The region has seen European settlement since the 1640’s.

Sleepy Hollow is home to some notable historical landmarks such as the Philipsburg Manor House in the Upper Mills section of the former sprawling Colonial-era estate known as Philipsburg Manor. Together with a water mill, the house is operated as a non-profit museum by Historic Hudson Valley.

Another landmark is The Edward Harden Mansion, which now serves as the Public School administration building,

Perhaps one of the most famous local attractions synonymous with Sleepy Hollow is The Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground.

Founded around 1685, this is the church and churchyard that appear in Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It is often confused with the adjacent – but separate – Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

Outside of October, the church is not open for casual visitation, though visitors are welcomed at Easter, Christmas Eve, and for summer music services.