Fallen leaves crunch beneath your feet, making a sound akin to that of biting into a fresh apple. There’s a chill in the air, so you’ve got your favorite sweater on. Porches are dotted with pumpkins, some with glowing carvings etched into their surface. Businesses along the main thoroughfare in Tarrytown are dressed up in their Halloween best.
Don’t blink, or you might miss the Headless Horseman. You’re in Sleepy Hollow country, Westchester’s very own Halloween Town.
Looking for Halloween fun? The Journal News/lohud.com has you covered. Check out our list below of where to go and what to do this spooky season. Be sure to bookmark this page, as it will be updated weekly.
Apple picking in Westchester and beyond
Hudson Valley’s pick-your-own-apples season gets rolling in September, before fall’s chill fully sets in. Some apple varieties start to peak around this time, others in October. So be sure to check with orchards on their website, or give them a call to see what’s available.
≽ Click here for our list of where to go.
Head to a pumpkin patch in the Lower Hudson Valley
Carve out some time: Hudson Valley’s pumpkin picking season gets underway around mid- to late-September.
Pick-your-own-pumpkin season tends to run until or through late October. Farms in the Lower Hudson Valley region have online information about their pumpkin varieties and peak picking times.
≽ Click here for our list of where to go.
Deals on things to do in Hudson Valley
Tour The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in Croton-on-Hudson
The Great Jack-O-Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor has returned to illuminate the Hudson Valley for another Halloween season.
The Blaze has been one of the Lower Hudson Valley’s most popular seasonal events since it opened in 2005 and a sure sign to residents that autumn is here. More than 7,000 pumpkins are lit up in colorful, hand-crafted sculptures and displays by local artists, creating a walk-through Halloween wonderland.
If you go: 525 S Riverside Ave, Croton-On-Hudson. See ticket prices and make a reservation at hudsonvalley.org/events/blaze.
≽ See highlights from this year’s Blaze, and learn how to get tickets.
Explore the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
This historic cemetery is the final resting place of some of New York’s most famous historical figures, including “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” author Washington Irving. Walk the cemetery’s sprawling grounds, and take a selfie on the wooden horseman bridge. Good to know: The cemetery is still active, so please be respectful of mourners or any funerals taking place.
≽ Check out our list of famous figures buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
If you go: 540 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow. Open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. sleepyhollowcemetery.org.
Head to the SUP Witches of Sleepy Hollow Festival
The SUP Witches of Sleepy Hollow Festival is headed back to town for its 6th year this October. Enjoy live music from The Fortunate Few, peruse the wares of more than 50 vendors, and witness the magic that is the SUP Witches Paddle. Can witches float? Test the theory for yourself by registering for the Witches on the Hudson paddle, remember to bring a costume!
If you go: Festival starts at noon on Oct. 12 (rain date Oct. 19), Tarrytown Light-Kingsland Point Path, Sleepy Hollow, admission is 8$. rivertownssupyoga.com/sup-witches-festival-2025.
This page will update.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Halloween in Sleepy Hollow country: Where to go, what to do for spooky season
Reporting by Michael P. McKinney and Alexandra Rivera, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
