Tarrytown, NY 10591
Telephone: (914) 591-8763
Open: March, weekends only
April through December, everyday except Tuesday
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last tour at 4 p.m.)
School has started. September is nearing its end. And pumpkins are turning fields a cheerful orange. Soon it will be time for campfires and ghost stories.
Get yourself in the storytelling mood by touring Washington Irving's Sunnyside. And, while there, don't pass up the chance to stop by Sleepy Hollow--home of Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, and the Headless Horseman. It's only a three-mile drive to the north.
While on this literary tour, you are sure to find "an atmosphere of dreams and fancies" and people "doling out their wild and wonderful legends."
A Snuggery
This beautiful National Historic Landmark began as a small stone cottage, a Dutch farmhouse, built during the eighteenth century. In 1835 Washington Irving purchased the house and made several renovations, adding stepped gables, weathervanes, and in 1847 a tower similar to Spanish monastery towers.
The house is furnished with period pieces and objects representing Irving's international travels.
Literary tourists often spend as much time outside this home as inside. Located near the bank of the Hudson River, Sunnyside is surrounded by wildflowers, shrubbery, and trees. Tourists are encouraged to walk the paths laid out by Irving himself and to enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds.
A visitor center, museum shop, and café are open during tour hours. The home can be scheduled for weddings, photography, and corporate meetings.
Washington Irving (1783-1859)
Storyteller, statesman, and ambassador, Washington Irving is perhaps best known as the author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle."
He was born and grew up in New York City. He studied law and practiced for a brief time before moving to Europe to manage the family export business in England. While in Europe, Irving served in the diplomatic corps in London and honed his writing skills.
He began writing for his brother's paper, the Morning Chronicle, under the pen name Jonathan Oldstyle. He enjoyed creating humor and satire, and at the age of 26, he published A History of New York (1809) using the pen name Deidrich Knickerbocker. This satirical look at early Dutch settlers is still read today.
In 1815, Irving moved to Europe where he lived for 17 years. During this time, he wrote The Sketch Book (1819-20), Bracebridge Hall (1822), and Tales of a Traveller (1824). He also researched and wrote The Life and Times of Christopher Columbus (1828), the first English biography of the explorer.
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