Philipsburg Manor

I've been coming here since I was a kid on field trips and now as an adult we have joined historic hudson valley to support this great place. The grounds and the buildings are wonderfully cared for and the docents are wearing period dress and really know their history. The grist mill is amazing and the fact that is still operates is even more impressive. They run different programs through the year, admittedly some better than others. There are multiple buildings to tour and all are furnished with period items, some from the philipse family.

Beautiful historic farm in Sleepy Hollow dating back to the late 17th century. Unfortunately it was closed today but it sure looked beautiful in the snow. From prior visits I know that they have some very interesting information on slavery in New York, in fact enslaved people worked on this farm. The restoration was funded by John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Very cool place to visit, with lots of history and interesting buildings. Unfortunately, we went on a rainy day, and they were planning to close around 3 PM because of the weather. Many areas around the buildings were flooded, and some presentations were cut short or cancelled, which was disappointing. I felt a discounted ticket might have been appropriate given the conditions. Despite the weather, it was still a neat place to explore, and we were able to get some great photos. Definitely worth a visit if the weather is better!

Went on November 2nd , on Sunday and had a lovely time. If you like history, this museum provides a glimpse into history of the farm and area around 1750 and onwards. They have a very interesting presentation on how the moved the mill at that time

The Philipsburg Manor is a former Colonial era estate and well renowned historic destination located in the village of Sleepy Hollow, New York. The Philipsburg Manor is named after Dutch born landholder, merchant and slave owner, Frederick Philipse, first Lord of the Manor and patriarch of the Philipse Family, a prominent 18th century family that owned numerous slaves and vast quantities of land stretching from lower Westchester County, New York to Putnam County, New York. During the 17th & 18th century, the Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow primarily functioned as a mill and trading complex, and the main occupants were farmers and slaves. Carefully preserved historical documents shed light on the lives of the slaves who lived and worked at Philipsburg Manor, particularly the slave, Caesar who worked in the gristmill and the slaves, Dina, Massey and Sue, whom each worked at the Philipsburg Manor House and produced butter for commercial purposes. These documents reveal the harsh realities and brutal conditions of slavery at the estate, and that the labor of enslaved people played a pivotal role in the enrichment, wealth and success of the Philipse family, none of which was shared with the slaves. In 1951, the Philipsburg Manor would be acquired by John D. Rockefeller Jr, a highly successful financier and philanthropist, specifically through his organization, Historic Hudson Valley. Today, the Philipsburg Manor is still owned and operated by the Historic Hudson Valley and is open to guests for both self-guided and guided tours. Visitors have a chance to see and explore the site’s grist mill, the mill pond, an 18th Century barn, a slave garden as well as the Philipsburg Manor House, which primarily served as a production facility and was tenanted by slaves and farmers. Due to its rich heritage and its recognition as one of the few remaining Colonial era structures, the Philipsburg Manor House is listed on the National Register Of Historic Places and is recognized as a US National Historic Landmark. In July of 2017, my wife and I had the pleasure of taking part in a guided tour of the Philipsburg Manor and our tour guide did a great job on detailing the development and rich history of the site and its occupants. We also enjoyed viewing and interacting with the costumed interpreters that discussed the chores and daily routines of those that worked at Philipsburg Manor in the 18th Century. We very much thank the Historic Hudson Valley for providing an amazing guided tour experience. In October of 2025, I brought and treated my wife and myself to another visit to the Philipsburg Manor to attend the “Twilight Village At Sleepy Hollow” a Halloween themed event that takes place from October to early November at the destination. Like our guided tour in 2017, my wife and I also very much enjoyed our experience at the Twilight Village During our visit, we had fun viewing and interacting with live storytellers and musical performers. We were in awe of the red, green and purple LED lights that were fixed on trees and houses on the estate, and the playing of ominous music and sounds, all of which produced an eerie and exciting atmosphere. One of our favorite part of the Twilight Village was the pop-up market, where guests have access to purchase unique hand made crafts and goods as well as delicious meals offered by food trucks. Our other favorite part was viewing the brief live show at the “Haunted Hollow” which pays tribute to Washington Irving’s “The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow” by featuring the appearance of Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel and the dramatic entrance of the captivating “ Headless Horseman.” After the show, guests have the opportunity to view and take a selfie alongside the “Headless Horseman, a wonderful treat that I personally took part in. My wife and I very much loved all of our visits to the Philipsburg Manor and highly recommended for everyone to stop by and explore this historic destination, whether it be for a guided tour or to attend the “Twilight Village At Sleepy Hollow” event.

Wow what an amazing experience. Loved that people were dressed in period costumes but spoke as their normal selves. I had no idea slavery extended up north at one point and this tour was so eye opening. It’s also just very picturesque and lovely to walk around despite the sad history. The demonstrations were great and the first building watching the mill ACTUALLY operate and being able to buy the flour was INCREDIBLE. Will definitely return.

We tried our luck as walk-ins. Not a chance. Currently there is the whole 1700's like village at display. Galloping horse sound effects behind you, mysterious fog infront. Halloween theme as you know it, with numerous of shows and attractions such as tarot card reading, fire dancers, headless horseman show, fire pit on the main square and much more. Be sure to buy your tickets online and be on time. By the way, the gift shop stuffed with Halloween gifts. The cafe offers warm beverages, so don't get cold!

I had a lot of fun visiting this place! The property is gorgeous and the staff giving tours were all so great! I love how into character the guides were. I definitely recommend this tour

This was such a pretty experience. We didn't get to explore the manor as we came to sleepy hollow without many ideas of what to find - but we did have a ticket for kykuit. It was interesting to learn so many details about their lives back then, and October's colors were amazing in the large gardens. I would definitely go back to have other tours, learn more about the manor for example. I wish I had booked tickets earlier.

We came here for the Legend of Sleepy Hollow Discovery Walk and were pretty dissapointed. Tickets were $40 and the description implied that it would be an immersive experience of the headless horseman story, but it was mainly wooden cutouts and 1 person pretending to be different characters briefly in a very silly manner while the guide read directly from the book. And trying to get people to "vogue" while on a tour about the Legend of Sleepy Hollow was just out of place. I would not be as upset about it if it weren't $40/person. You are better off just doing a tour of the Manor itself, or better yet it would be great if they brought back the Horseman's Hollow experience.

We signed up for the tour and it was well worth it! We learned about the history of the manor including the owners and enslaved people who lived and worked there. Visiting the mill, original house, barn and other parts of the property was amazing. I really appreciated all of the guides who were so engaging and knowledgeable!

I wish this place was open. However, even with it being closed, you can still get a few good pictures of the place as well as the stone relief of the headless horseman chasing Mr. Crane. Also, the site is directly across from the Old Dutch Church and a large sculpture of the headless horseman. Enjoy!

Philipsburg Manor is a next to the office to secure tickets to tour the Rockefeller Mansion Kykuit. To tour Philipsburg is a separate fee. We looked at it from across the little pond. There's plenty of history about the Manor in the mini-museum where you pick up tickets for Kykuit.

Unfortunately it is closed because of Covid. It is a historical museum dating back to 1750 that was a mill and trading post. Very nice setting.

AMAZING walk though history lane. You get to see psome of what is left over from the largest land owners in this state in 1700's. Their manor, flour mills and barn. The tour guides give a lot of details about how the family used to live and what owning land at that point in time meant to the land owners and the town. The tour is about 2 hours long and very detailed about each and every building you visit. You get to see the manor where they slaves made butter and worked for the land owners when they were in town. The mill where the cloud was produced using water as a source of energy for the machinery. The barn where they fries their grains and got the seeds to make the flour. As well as making their dry food for the winter and other Things that the barn was used for. It is very worth it to come visit the manor and take the time to do the tour. All the information you get about that time period is a priceless experience.

This was a bit of a spontaneous day trip from NYC. Three of us jumped on the train and booked our tour on the way. The staff members were very accommodating even though we arrived slightly late due to a lack of taxis at the train station. We got escorted to the Manor (Short walk)itself where another lady took over taking us around the house and passing into other guides who were extremely informative about the history of the house,its owner and of course the slaves living there. Every each of them except for one ( food preserving lady seemed a little lost and not knowledgable) provided our small group with excellent stories and answers to our questions. This place is definitely worth a visit. In an 1 and 3/4 you'll learn a lot about the life of wealthy land owners and the fate of those who were enslaved. Sadly we were unable to see the mill and the bridge as they are under construction.

I had a wonderful experience here over the weekend. It was a perfect activity for a cloudy day in the summer. The tour consisted of viewing 3 buildings in total- the manor itself (the only original building left on the property), the mill, and the barn. We enjoyed going through the manor envisioning what once was and seeing the replicas of the period appropriate memorabilia. The tour was informative and interesting. The mill tour gave a glance at how different machinery worked and how the good were transported. The barn/garden was also really exciting to see - there was an outside lecture on herbs and medicines prior to entering the barn as well. I loved that the guides wore period appropriate clothing. Overall it was a very pleasant experience, a lot of picture opportunities, and great guides. I would recommend the tour!

Absolutely loved this place. It's a quick easy drive from the City, or you can take the Metro North to Tarrytown. Highly recommended on a lovely summer day. Get ready to step back in time. Admission fees are reasonable. There is some important history to learn here, not only about 17th century New York but about slavery. Loved the gristmill. The manor house was great. There are some hands-on activities and people in period costume. Very informative and interesting.

I would give this place 2.5 stars if I could. I went here for horseman's hollow 2014. When you wait in line, there are people dressed up in costume (beetle juice guy, zombie bride, etc) that you can take pictures with. There's also a DJ dressed up as some monster, playing music and asking horror movie trivia. He was pretty funny and entertaining. When you finally get in and hand in your tickets, the actual event took maybe 20 MINUTES MAXIMUM. You get a few scares, but it's over way too fast. I didn't really know what to expect coming in. There are a bunch of shacks spread around outdoors on the Phillipsburg manor estate. Inside the shacks are the actors trying to scare you. They are great and costumes and makeup are awesome. I just really wish we didn't drive all the way from NYC for 20 minutes.

Blast from the past! Very interesting and educational visit. My husband and I took a little day trip to Sleepy Hollow, NY from Manhattan this past Saturday. Our first stop was Phlipsburg Manor. We paid about $14 each. We were told it would be a 25 minute tour but it ended up being over an hour. There is a very nice gift shop and place to eat as well as restrooms where you buy your tickets. Philipsburg Manor was owned by Adolph Philipse in the 18th Century (1750). he was the wealthiest man in New York. The Philipses were also the largest slave owning families in the colonial north. With 23 men, women and children. It's over 52,000 acres. The staff that guides the tours were all dressed in character as if you were really there in that time period. They were very nice and informative. We felt like we were watching what life was like in that moment in time. The tour even has all the original names of the slaves and a log of how old they were and where they were sold from. Original clothing, shoes, etc. They really take you in depth of how hard the labor was and what they had to endure by demonstrating their duties. The tour has many different sections and tour guides. It's interactive and very interesting. You will visit the garden, the house upstairs and downstairs, the barn, the recreational area and more. It's such a small price to pay and you get so much out of it. It was probably one of the best tours we've been on. A lot of respect to the people and staff running this place and how they put there heart into the tours and really make it a wonderful experience for all. Highly recommended for adults and children. We had a great time visiting and will be back for the many other tours they have.

Great experience for all. There are a lot of activities in the area to keep you busy for a day and more. Looking forward to come in a fall to see headless horseman and all.

Is it worth the price? Depends how much you're into history. I enjoyed only one part which was the flour mills. It still runs on water and not electricity! I think that was the only exciting part. We were shown where the slaves worked, what they worked on, where meetings were held, what they ate, what they cooked, etc. It's interesting but it's not something I would want to pay for. We paid the student price but I still don't think it's worth the price.

I love Legend Weekend where the approach is through the woods before a storyteller in period garments told the tale of Sleepy Hallow. Many children arrived in costume. My roommate had to buy timed tickets online. Parking is on the street. We got here by taking the Metro North and a cab to pick up her car.

I went to the Horseman's Hollow last weekend with 4 other women (ages 26-39) and not one of us was even remotely impressed or slightly scared or freaked out. We all agreed it was a waste of our $20. There are definitely scarier things or do or places to go than this event. The estate was cool, that was it.

Reviewing the 2013 Horseman's Hollow: My girlfriend and I discovered Horseman's Hollow in 2012 and were absolutely blown away - the event was better put together than any Halloween attraction we'd attended before and the atmosphere was amazing, from the moment we left the parking lot, til we completed the Hollow. Fast-forward to 2013, and we returned to Sleepy Hollow with great anticipation of another spectacular experience. In a word, the 2013 Horseman's Hollow was disappointing. The number of actors was dramatically lower than last year, and while there were some moments with potential, it seemed that the creators of the 2013 Hoeseman's Hollow just neglected to follow through on all the details. As always, the costumes and makeup were amazing - the execution, however, was lacking. I think we will skip the Horseman's Hollow next year.

I came here for sheep to shawl 2018 it was a blass and i saw sheep sheering,sheep herding and its the best event for the month April.

My husband and I were part of the 1:30 PM tour on a beautiful September 7th day. The mill tour was nice and the gentlemen guide was very thorough explaining how the mill worked back in the day. The actual house was nice to see, Brenda doing a fantastic job by incorporating some humor in the story. My favorite part was the barn. Awwwww! We met Ginger, the barn cat. She was the sweetest thing. Every cat in the world should have her life. The sheep were adorable roaming around the property feeding themselves with the grass found all over the place. We will definitely go back later in the fall because we loved it so much. We also purchased a membership to support this little part of history.

Philipsburg Manor may be historic because it is old, but I was not too impressed with what is left of the site. Back in the day though, the manor took up a huge swath of land from the Croton River in the north down to the very end of the Bronx at Spuyten Duyvil in the south. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipsburg_Manor When visiting, don't forget to take a guided tour of the other Historic Hudson Valley sites: http://www.hudsonvalley.org

Review of 2013 Horseman's Hollow: All 8 people in our group (age 24-30) drove over an hour to see this. We are from CT and NJ. For the distance traveled, amount of Internet hype, and the fact that we are actually in Sleepy Hollow, I expected a lot more. Visually - it was gorgeous. A+ with makeup and decorations. However, I expected it to be a lot longer and scarier. I didn't jump once. None of us did. When we came to the end our whole group said in unison "that's it?!". It was way too short with not enough scares for us to make the hour trip again. If I was local, I might go again.

The most delightful thing about PM are the wonderful animals.The ,sheep which had babies ,calling to their mothers all the time I was there, are a riot. The cow needed to be milked and there was a male calf present - Norman.There is also a very furry cat Moses(?) From a historical perspective , this is an interesting house, a reminder that the Dutch were here before the English and New York had slavery .Remember the famous abolitionist Sojourner Truth was born a slave in New York.

This is for 2013 Horseman's Hollow: A group of us went to HH this past weekend. It was about 7:30pm-ish, and it was a mad house. There was a DJ playing 'horror' themed songs, and the Headless Horseman was riding around on a beautiful white horse, so we were mildly entertained while waiting. There was a pretty long line, but we got in quickly. They only do groups of 10 at a time; there were 12 of us so they allowed us to go in. It wasn't super scary, which is great because a piece of lint scares me. It was very, very dark while walking through the trails. I wish they had a little more lighting, we really had to watch our step. The characters were cool, and the makeup was on point. It was mostly outside, with a few indoor treks. For the most part, it was fun. I would probably go again.

I'm trying to give this zero stars. I'm an asian woman who was treated poorly, while my friend - a white woman, and it wasn't evident at first we were there together - was treated so much better. The two women who were working in the gift shop (and also the people to ask about tours/admission) were so obviously ruder to me, and the only difference between me and my friend was my non-white skin. Reader, you may think I'm being overly sensitive but trust me, I haven't experienced this kind of racism in decades, and I was shocked too. I went with a friend and our two well-behaved girls. I waited for the ladies who worked there to tell me about the tour, admissions, etc. They were having a personal conversation, so I stood at the counter and politely waited for them to finish up. They made deliberate eye contact with me, and continued their private conversation. My friend approached the counter and they immediately stopped chatting and turned to her with, "HI! how can we help you?!" --knowing I was standing there, obviously waiting for them! Then they realized my friend and I were together, and they started talking to her a little coldly. At one point, I asked if there was a recommended age for the tours; if it was something that a three year old could do. The woman gave me elevator eyes, looked disdainfully at my child - who was just standing there; not acting up, not wandering around, nothing - and said, "well, it depends on the child...." At which point I turned right around and left this disgusting place. There are PLENTY of places in tarrytown with working farms, where you can see cute baby animals (Muskoot farms), do a farm chore (Stone barns), or see how people used to live way back when. I would NOT go to this place that is totally unwelcoming, with their snooty racist people representing the organization.

The people who give a few negative reviews must have zombie brains! This is an attraction that allows kids 10+ to attend, The kids we were with LOVED it and got scared plenty of times. Makeup and production value was fantastic and the actors work hard. If you missed Horseman's Hollow this Halloween, you missed Halloween! Take the kids next year! ****

The place itself is beautiful and the people in costume working the farm are really nice. The woman inside the part where you pay was absolutely rude, however. We left and almost didn't come back but decided to the next day, and she was gone thank goodness.

My husband and I visited Philipsburg Manor last Saturday after coming to Tarrytown from NYC for another event. We arrived around noon and managed to have a private tour, between two larger groups. It was charming, full of history and a very enjoyable experience!! The tour had several parts, each of which were lead by a different guide in period costume who told a story and gave historical context to the manor and its former inhabitants. All of the guides were wonderful, passionate and set the scene of the historical event with a lot of information to share. One fun surprise was that the manor has a functioning mill, farm, garden, and wheat field. (The mill was closed due to some damage, but the garden and wheat field were fully operational. ) In one part of the tour they demonstrated of how to use various herbs from the garden to make medicines. The guides had picked the plants and herbs from the garden and recreated some concoctions using a historical cookbook of natural remedies. In another part of the tour, we were able to try out making linen from flax. We also saw how they made brooms, containers from gourds, and where they stored and threshed the wheat from the previous years harvest. The woman farmer who showed us the barn was very passionate and excited to share how they grew and harvested their crops using historical farming methods. Overall, it was one of the best tours I've been on and I would recommend it to kids and adults. We will definitely be back the next time our family visits from out of town. Thank you Philipsburg Manor tour guides!! You completely transported us back in time!!

We found out about this tour while registering for our Kykuit tour, and with an hour to wait, we decided to see what it was about whereby they gave us a discount. The tour guides really make this fun as they are friendly and engaging in their telling of the Manor dating hundreds of years back to when the family was one of the wealthiest in the region. The most interesting part was the tour of the water wheel and flour grinding system, amazing technology for that time before anything industrial. It's also interesting to discover some history of the real Sleepy Hollow location, which many have read tales about. We had to leave a little early to be on time for the Rockefeller Estate tour and they said to come back afterwards to finish. We came back after 3pm and finished the last part.

I've known about Philipsburg Manor for awhile and always wanted to visit. I made plans to come on a Sunday as I was passing through on a longer trip. I checked the website's hours and offerings, noting that admission was by timed, guided tour only, with the last tour at 3:30 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Arriving at 2:50, I was told that all tours were sold out (actually the first thing that anyone told me was that Kykuit was sold out, which I wasn't interested in anyway) and that the last ticket for the manor had just been sold for the final tour of the day...at 3 PM. After asking her about the status of the 3:30 tour, the employee at the ticket counter curtly explained that there was no such tour that day, that there was nothing that she could do because the 3 PM tour was already leaving (it was still in the entrance hall next to us and had less than ten people on it), and that in the future I should look at the website. Not understanding what she meant about the website, I later figured out that she was suggesting that I make a tour reservation online. I asked her what else I could do on the site besides taking a tour, a question that only further irritated her, although I did get her to tell me about crossing the street to explore the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow on my own. I realize that it was the end of the day and that maybe the woman at the desk wasn't having a good one, but it would have been nice to have encountered someone with better customer service skills, especially since the shop and visitor reception area remain open until 3:30 anyway. When they say that regular, non-special event admission is by guided tour, they mean the entire site, and that the entire visit is spent in the company of costumed guides and as part of a large group. The ticket counter employee was literally flabbergasted (great word right?) when I asked if it was possible to simply walk the grounds of the manor. Having worked at and visited many similar historic sites myself, this set up hardly seems like an efficient way to run a museum like Philipsburg Manor, given its large outdoor setting. Not everyone wants a guided tour, and although I can understand the need to limit if not altogether avoid free flow visits inside the historic structures, I would have been happy to pay a lesser fee to just walk around on my own time outside since I didn't know when exactly I would arrive; I would have been risking a tour reservation if I had made one anyway. The current policy limits visitation in more ways than one, and honestly 3:30 is a little on the early side for a closing time, especially since the site doesn't open until 10:30. As I left the desk there were still small groups coming in to inquire about entering the site. Again I realize that space can be tight in the historic buildings, but offering a self-guided option for the grounds would be a smart way to make the most of visitors rather than simply turning them away. A place like Philipsburg Manor would seem to have such potential and what I could see from across the street looked interesting. I've followed the site's innovative programming related to slavery in colonial New York from afar and will hope to visit again in the future. The area is beautiful and great if you love history, but this was a disappointing experience.

Review for Horseman's Hollow Haunted walkthrough. Scary.....no. Not at all. Maybe if you're a child. This thing is a huge attraction, and you have to get tickets early. But it is NOT worth it. Buy tickets....and then scalp them. You wait in this long line, half full of obnoxious teens/adults and it seems half of them are drunk. They let people in in groups of 10, but as you start to walk through, you quickly end up right behind another group. Therefore, you see ahead of time, the supposed scary people who come out and try to "scare" you. A lot of people stop and take videos with their phones, holding you up. You can tell, they certainly put effort into it, but all that time and money spent does not add up to a scary experience. Dont buy into the hype, its more of an annoyance than anything else.

The Horseman's Hollow haunted house last night was fantastic. As soon as we walked up to the front entrance, there was a headless horseman riding around on a white horse, so cool. We had 7pm tickets, got there a little late (7:45ish) but it was alright. They had two large lines to get in that were alternating on and off, didn't take more than 10-15 minutes in line to get in. We tried to allow a good amount of space between the people in front of us so we could get a few good scares. What puts this place a step above the rest is the beautiful historic property and the absolutely amazing job they did on costumes/makeup. Try to get a good look at the actors/actresses up close. I only wish it was a little longer! In all, worth the $20.

Ticket holders beware. Despite booking both tours for kykuit and philipsburg, receiving confirmation via email that says will get $ back via refund when physically there at ticketing booth, they said it was a new policy and will not honor the $ EVEN WITH PROOF on website and email. ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE WITHB MY KIDS AND FAMILY.

not sure who runs this place. but, 4 of us wanted to roam and take pictures. we were more than willing to pay the entrance fee that gets you the tour included. can't do that! I was told by the two ladies at the counter, that you HAVE to take the guided tour and then your free to roam and take pictures after. so...we're willing to pay, just not willing to spend an hour and a half wasting time on something we have no interest in. kinda like Disney not letting you in unless you go on the rides. B.S.

Went to the Haunted Hollow haunted attraction at Philipsburg Manor this weekend. Its a brand new attraction, and apparently they still need to work out the kinks. While the area is a great place for a haunted house/maze, they just don't pull it off well. For one, the lines are way too long - you wait an hour to get in the house/maze. When you finally get to the "house" part, you walk in single file with all the other people who were in line. Second, its not scary to begin with, but when you are in there with 20 other people, its even less scary. They could have done so much more with this. The grounds are quite creepy, but they need more live actors, less lines, and more scares. I have a feeling this will get better next year, but there will likely be longer lines. The Headless Horseman riding around was very cool.

I was so looking forward to visiting Philipsburg Manor for the Cornucopia celebration, but I was terribly disappointed. First and foremost, the cantankerous ancient woman at the gate could not have been ruder. Then, once we got in, we found that much of the food was no longer available - despite there still being hours before the festival closed for the day. I did not find the staff friendly or welcoming, and I would never recommend this to anyone.

This haunted attraction served as a tame warm-up to my Halloween weekend in Hudson Valley. We parked in the overflow lot, which proved to be a real treat because we got to walk up a LONG gravel walkway with real candlelit lanterns lighting the path on each side. When we arrived to the entrance area, there was a headless horseman on a white horse (the most patient horse I've ever encountered - tolerating camera-phone flashes). The ticket sales are on a timed entry system; there was an entertaining lady making all the announcements to help things along and keep everyone in good spirits. I purchased my tickets through the Historic Hudson Valley Premier membership; we entered the attraction at the first available entry through the VIP line, so I can not comment on the wait time for general ticket purchases, but it appeared pretty organized. The haunt itself was very tame. Some of the makeup and costumes were very intricate and cool, but it was not really scary and the groups were a little too large, which tends to ruin the surprise element of some of the scares (supposedly they're only letting in groups of ten at a time, but by the time you get to the meat of things, everyone is all jumbled together). They did make many efforts to control this by having the cast members hold you back from catching the previous group, but it was nearly impossible when the larger group behind you keeps rushing you ahead. Overall, it was a fun warm-up to the real haunted attraction that we attended in Ulster Park (see my upcoming review of the Headless Horseman), but I definitely would not pay to attend this attraction again.

This review is for the 2013 Horseman's Hollow, an attraction which my husband and I have been attending since it first opened four seasons ago. We went with friends on 10/19 around 8 pm and I have to say we were severely disappointed by HH this year. :( Perhaps it was an "off" year after Sandy ruined Halloween for everyone in NJ/NY last year. Maybe there were budget cuts or something, but there were hardly any live actors to be found during the 20 or so minutes it took to walk through. I scare quite easily and only jumped once so it was even more disappointing that no one seemed to be making an effort to do any scaring at all. The actors we did see seemed like they were instructed to help control crowds and were more or less phoning in any performance...sad. In years past, the entire creative cast has been fantastic! What happened? Also: wasted opportunity for a big scare with the cannon victim. That's all I'll say... While I applaud the attempt at crowd control, they really need to do something about having hordes of people exiting as you're making your way down the path to the second ticket scanner. The way is narrow and it ruins the anticipation to see a bunch of glum faces that don't look scared at all. Do not send so many people in at once! People will wait if they want a good scream. The whole thing felt rushed. Also, why did they feel the need to expand and space out the sets? It lost a lot in translation. Now there's a ton of standing in line and waiting around among cornstalks/encampment tents where nothing happens. Don't get me wrong: the sound and lighting is superb as always but when there's no payoff for all the anticipation, it can't help but fail to meet expectations. Does anyone else think they are trying to be more family-friendly by reducing the "gotcha" moments and making places that should be claustrophobic and dark, well-lit and free of scares? The best part - the disorienting "bag tunnel" - is now as bright as a moonlit night. Come on! If you can't see where you're going, it's that much more terrifying...and no one popped out at the end so boooo all around. Better luck next year, HH. We may take a year off until you work out the kinks and get back to being the best-produced haunted attraction you were in 2011.

The prices are unnecessarily high. But once you get past the prices, it's really a pleasure to come here (if you'd like to experience life on Hudson Valley farms in the 1800s). The barns have live animals inside. The tour guides are dressed like it's still the 1800s - and they show you how everything on the farm, mill, and house lifestyles, once worked.

VERY DISAPPOINTING. First of all you park a mile away, walk a mile, and then wait in line - literally barricades as if you are in a security line at the airport. They packed in thousands and thousands of people, it was like a zoo! Then you are walking at a snails space in a long line of people. Any attempts at separating people to allow some space in between were a complete failure. We were right behind the persons in front of us and frequently at a standstill. Hence we saw absolutely every 'spooky surprise' that had been set up to the people that were in front of us. Absolutely nothing was a surprise, and hence nothing was scary. There were people EVERYWHERE. I would never ever do this again.

I was worried about taking my out-of-town guests here, after reading reports of staff rudeness in earlier reviews. But, we did not experience that at all. The staff and costumed interpreters were all very nice and went out of their way to share information and tell us about daily life at the manor. The river level was low, due to a state dam project up the river. Therefore, the miller wasn't able to demonstrate making flour, but he did a great job of explaining the process and showing all the equipment. We all had a good time.

If you love the Fall and the celebration of Halloween then there are few places that will get you in the mood like Sleepy Hollow and the rest of the Hudson Valley! My wife and I went up this year for the first time from the Bronx and it wast fantastic! I thought The Horseman's Hollow at Philipsburg Manor was well done! It's not easy to pull off a spooky attraction but my wife and I had a great time! My hat is to the actors and actresses who worked so hard and succeeded in giving me and my wife a thrill!

I planned to go here but haven't gone yet, I'm writing to warn everyone about the Festival of Witches Halloween costume ball given in Sleepy Hollow this year 2015 by Krystal Madison-Corvin it's an 18+ Halloween party and it was a scam, I found out this is her 2nd annual Halloween Ball I don't know where the first one was held because she bounces around from place to place looking for a cheap location it was held this year at the F.O.E. Lodge in Sleepy Hollow I was suckered into going thinking it was the same type of ball held every year in Salem Massachusetts. It is NOT the same at all it is a cheap imitation. There were NO door prizes, raffles, psychic readings and the first 20 people did NOT receive a gift bag as promised, the d.j downloaded songs from youtube and the best costume $100 prize went to their friend who was not dressed in the Day of the Dead themed costume you were supposed to wear in order to win, she had on no makeup and a homemade dress, they said it was a unaminous vote but no party goers voted. I know this is off topic but I just wanted to warn everyone about the scam she is very evasive and hard to find so her events are only listed temporarily, basically she takes the money and runs.

visiting Sleepy Hollow, during October you must go to Horseman's Hollow fantastic time worth every penny.