Hudson Valley HS Wrestling

Sunnyside is the charmingly Romantic home of Washington Irving, author of such classics as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle.

Irving (1783-1859) bought a two-room Dutch stone house on the banks of the Hudson River in 1835. He expanded and extensively remodeled the building in a mélange of styles, adding Tudor-style clustered chimneys, Dutch stepped gables, Gothic windows, a piazza, and, later, a Spanish tower. Irving also made the grounds more picturesque, planting trees in carefully chosen locations and creating hills, a pond, and a meandering stream with a waterfall. Winding trails and drives throughout the 27-acre estate afforded superb vistas of the river and the landscape.

Both the house and grounds have been meticulously restored by Historic Hudson Valley. The comfortable rooms look much as they did in the 1850s, and many of the furnishings are original. Outside, the wisteria vine the author planted by the front door continues to bloom each spring, while the trails he laid out are still a perfect place for a stroll. The icehouse, root cellar, and wood and coal house have been reconstructed on their original sites; plants of the period are grown in the kitchen garden. Tours of the house are given by guides in Victorian dress.

There is a seasonal café. Visitors can now walk between Sunnyside and Lyndhurst via the Croton Aqueduct Trail.

Sunnyside, located on West Sunnyside Lane in Tarrytown, is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Tuesdays April-October; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily except Tuesdays November-December; and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends only in March. Guided tours. Admission fee. 914-631-8200.