I first read Washington Irving's stories, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle" in the eighth grade, and ever since have loved Irving's description of the "sequestered glen of Sleepy Hollow, whose dreamy influence seems to hang over the land." I'd heard that Sleepy Hollow and the historic Hudson Valley have much to offer, especially during the holidays, and since I'd never been there, I decided to visit one weekend last December.
Where Irving Slept Washington Irving, a prolific author of fiction, history and biography, also held diplomatic posts in Great Britain and Spain. He bought Tarrytown's Sunnyside in 1835, then enlarged and renovated this beautiful cottage that overlooks the Hudson River.
Nicknamed "The Snuggery," Sunnyside felt warm and inviting to me. Its cheerful English style decorations consisted of decorative green garlands on the mantle but no Christmas tree.
Sadly, Irving never got over the death of his fiancée, Matilde, and mourned her until he died in 1859 at the age of 76. His burial place, the Old Dutch Church Cemetery of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" fame, thrilled his readers as a favorite haunt of troubled spirits and the hangout of the Headless Horseman, thought to be a Hessian trooper whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball during the Revolutionary War.
Fortunately, no mysterious specters marred my day, but I inquired about the name "Tarrytown." In his story, our guide told us, Irving wrote that the name had been given to the small market town of Greensburg by the good housewives from the "propensity of their husbands to linger about the village tavern on market days." While Irving doesn't vouch for that fact, it's a pleasant tale.
Hungry from the scent of Wassail, a drink made from wine, allspice, berries, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, ginger root, apples and lemons, I left Sunnyside and drove through the decorative iron gates of nearby Dolce Tarrytown House where I had a sumptuous buffet lunch.
A Lyndhurst Fairytale Christmas Well fed, I drove next to Lyndhurst, a Gothic Revival mansion that is the architectural representation of the American Romanticism movement born in the Hudson River Valley. Set on 67 acres and decorated in a "Fairytale Holiday" theme, Lyndhurst filled me with holiday cheer.
Our guide, Ira Stein, showed us rooms decorated with clues to different fairytales for children of all ages. Cinderella transformed the Drawing Room, Alice visited Wonderland in the Library amid authentic furniture and books, and the elegant Dining Room had a lavish table set for Beauty and the Beast.
As I left Lyndhurst, clouds obscured the sun, and for a moment, I thought I saw a roadside apparition in this setting perfect for galloping ghosts. I pushed thoughts of eerie visions aside, though, and drove to Philipsburg Manor.
An Educational Manor Museum Philipsburg Manor, a Dutch Colonial site and one of the largest and best documented slave sites in the North, offers costumed performers who act out parts in vignettes that reflect life as it was lived at the Manor during the midpoint of the 18th century.
Working in conjunction with the African American Advisory Board and the Historic Hudson Valley, the Manor educates visitors by drawing them into the lives of Philipsburg slaves.
Crossing the bridge over the frozen millpond, I imagined another ice-covered bridge, upon which gangly Ichabod Crane raced his horse, Gunpowder, at breakneck speed, the Headless Horseman close on his tail. But this 18th century milling/trading/farming complex exuded serenity. Touring the Mill, I scratched Moses the Mill cat's back while we learned about Caesar and Diamond, important enslaved Africans. Caesar worked the mill, Diamond the boatman transported flour.
We saw the Lower Kitchen, where children were born, and then the Upper Kitchen, where a table set for the holidays displayed intricate marzipan pastries next to the "Martha Washington Book of Cookery."
Finally, we toured the grounds and barn, where children patted cows named Clover and Daisy, then watched the antics of Pumpkin the barn cat.
Twelfth Night Tavern Games Darkness approached as I arrived at my last stop, Van Cortlandt Manor, and joined the tour. Cheryl Bernstein, our guide, explained that the property was the primary residence of the Van Cortlandt family for two hundred years; it showcased their possessions, symbolized their status, and served as the center of their social and economic world. During the revolutionary war, Pierre Van Cortlandt, a staunch patriot, moved his family north for a time, along with much of their furniture.
As Cheryl took us down a spiral staircase to see the milk room, once used as a fridge, I avoided dark shadows and tried not to think about headless Hessian troopers. Climbing back up, I felt sorry for the slaves who had to ascend the dark stairs lugging heavy pots.
In the property's restored Ferry House, once the location of a Tavern, Christmas merriment included Twelfth Night. On this occasion the guest who found a bean in his slice of cake became "King of Twelfth Night", and head of the festivities. Guests chose cards then had to act as the person described on the card and follow the instructions. I took one from Cheryl and read it: "Jenny Jigabout, dance a step." Far better than the one chosen by a tour mate: "Sergeant Humdrum, bore them to tears." I preferred the dance step, and needing dinner and a good night's sleep, I waltzed over to the Thayer Hotel. Located on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point, this stylish hotel welcomed me with a roaring fire and the scent of hot apple cider.
Unfortunately, it's not possible to see all the Hudson Valley mansions in such a short time; I saved the Franklin D. Roosevelt Home, Vanderbilt estate and the Rockefeller's Kykuit estate for another trip.
The mansions I did see enchanted me, but Washington Irving's Sunnyside did more – it brought back fond memories of books I loved as a child. What more could one ask for during the holidays?
For more information:
To obtain a free regional travel guide visit
http://www.hvnet.com/
for a comprehensive online guide to the Valley with a calendar of holiday events, including info about Christmas traditions in the region. Travel writer Melody Moser's articles and photos have appeared in publications such as The Orlando Sentinel, The AAA Touch, Arabella Romances Magazine, Connecting Solo Travel News, The Globe (UK), and GoNomad.com; she also writes regularly for The Tourist News, a supplement to The Miami Herald. She can be reached through her travel blog at http://www.traveldreamsite.blogs.com/.
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