Sleepy Hollow & Tarrytown Day Trip — 38 Minutes from Grand Central

Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow sit adjacent to each other on the eastern bank of the Hudson in Westchester County, 38 minutes from Grand Central by Metro-North. Washington Irving invented the Headless Horseman legend here in 1820. The Rockefeller family built their country estate Kykuit on the hill above Pocantico Hills. For World Cup visitors looking for the most effortless escape from the city, this is the answer.

Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate

Kykuit (KY-cut, Dutch for "lookout") was the Rockefeller family home for four generations, completed in 1913 for John D. Rockefeller Sr. Nelson Rockefeller transformed the grounds into one of the finest outdoor sculpture collections in the country — works by Picasso, Calder, Moore, and Brancusi are placed throughout formal gardens overlooking the Hudson and the distant Manhattan skyline. Tours depart from Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow. Advance reservation at hudsonvalley.org is essential — summer tours sell out weeks ahead.

Philipsburg Manor & Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Philipsburg Manor on the Pocantico River is a restored 17th-century Dutch colonial manor with a working grist mill. The Old Dutch Church next door, built in 1685, is one of the oldest standing churches in New York State and the cemetery where the Headless Horseman scene was set. Washington Irving is buried in the adjacent Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

Lyndhurst Mansion

Lyndhurst is a National Trust Historic Site on the southern edge of Tarrytown — a 67-acre Gothic Revival estate overlooking the Hudson, designed by Alexander Jackson Davis in 1838 and enlarged by railroad magnate Jay Gould in 1880. The rose garden peaks in June.

Getting There

Metro-North Hudson Line from Grand Central Terminal to Tarrytown in 38 minutes. Trains run every 20 to 30 minutes on weekdays, hourly on weekends. Round-trip fare approximately $22. No car necessary for the main sites.

Where to Stay

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