Sleepy Hollowmade USA TODAY's 10BEST 2026 Readers' Choice Awards for top places to visit for fall.
The tally, revealed Sept. 16th, lists the Westchester village as number 10. Coming in first: Mackinac Island, Michigan followed by Allegany County, Maryland; Woodstock, Georgia; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Lafayette, Louisiana; Rochester, New York; Saratoga County, New York; Burlington, Vermont and the Yakima Valley in Washington.
Honestly? We could have called it (or written it). The village, legendary for its place in Washington Irving's eponymous tale as well its star status come October, is a hub for fall festivities including an array of activities come Halloween.
Among the must-see
and do's in the area include the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze (with 7,000 hand-carved and illuminated pumpkins), the Sleepy Hollow Music Festival, which for the first time in its three-year history is in early October to help kick off the Halloween festivities, the Sleepy Hollow Cinema's inaugural SHOCtober (think terrifying tales that span decades of cinema), SUP Witches on the Hudson, where hundreds of costumed paddlers turn the Hudson River into a spectacle of witchy delight, the Glass Pumpkin Patch benefitting Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley, and the annual Village of Tarrytown Halloween Parade.
Not to mention the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, on the National Historic Register (and dating to the 1880s). Plus this spooky season is even more special with Sleepy Hollow's first candy shop — it opened in June — as well as its first ice cream self-serve spot, which is opening late September/early October.
Not only will little ghosts and goblins have new places for sweet treats, The Village Confectionery is turning its retro-styled store into an enchanted forest complete with a witch's house with a grand reveal 10 a.m. Sept. 18.
Plus did you know Horsefeathers, a Tarrytown bar rich in history which always has the best Halloween décor (and cocktails), was named one of the 29 USA TODAY Bars of the Year for 2025? Owner Julia McCue said the holiday was something Horsefeathers always celebrated but that she took it up a notch post pandemic with themed staff costumes, decorations and special drinks (decorations go up in late August).
The restaurant's most iconic feature, however, is the large mural in the dining room depicting famous authors such as Washington Irving, who wrote "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," as well as Groucho Marx, whose Marx Brothers film, "Horse Feathers," the eatery was named after.
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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Westchester village named 'best place to visit in fall' by USA Today
