NYC Day Trips - Philipsburg Manor
(Sleepy Hollow, Historic Hudson Valley)

Philipsburg Manor located within the village of Sleepy Hollow in Westchester, NY is an attraction for the entire family. This working 17th Century Dutch Colonial Farm features not only a working water-powered mill but also has its period costumed hosts who'll greet you with smiles and give you a history lesson in regards to their daily activities. Also on hand are farm animals such as sheep, cattle, chickens & roosters. You'll get to wander about the property as the sounds of farm life take hold of you in peaceful fashion.

"Philipsburg Manor is a late 17th/early 18th-century milling, farming, and trading complex owned by an Anglo-Dutch family of merchants, tenanted by farmers of diverse European backgrounds, and operated by enslaved Africans."

Note that the Town of Tarrytown (below Sleepy Hollow) and surrounding areas was settled by the Dutch in the late 17th century and with this in mind, the Philipse family had accumulated over 52,000 acres of land in Westchester County by the middle of the 18th Century. Philipsburg Manor has great historical significance in as far as colonial slavery and its effects on the commercial, economic and cultural development of New York.

Yours truly had the pleasure of entering within the Barn situated on the property as well as chatting with the hosts on hand as one did her handiwork on herbs which bore medicinal properties and yet another hoisted hay from one spot to another. This complex is a feast not only for the eyes but for the ears as you hear the baa-baa'ing of sheep and the cuckoo'ing of roosters.

This wonderful part of the Historic Hudson Valley is open daily (except Tuesdays) and offers Manor House Tours and Mill Tours throughout the day. There are also the ongoing demonstrations at the Activity Center and Farm and Barn as well as the Milking Demonstration which takes place in the mid afternoon. There's also the Picnic Area, Greenhouse Cafe and a Museum Shop.

Getting there:

• One can also take the Seasonal Sleepy Hollow Cruise which departs from Manhattan and pays a visit to this historical spot.
• Philipsburg Manor is located along Route 9 which is an extremely pleasant and scenic route running north and south. (Stay tuned for more details)

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