Starting Thanksgiving Weekend, Sunnyside, Van Cortlandt Manor Dressed in Finest

Historic Properties Bask in Candlelight During December; Special Evening Weekend Tours Begin December 8

TARRYTOWN, NY (Nov. 12, 2007) - The Hudson Valley holiday season kicks off Thanksgiving weekend at Washington Irving's Sunnyside in Tarrytown and Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, with the properties fully dressed for the holidays in authentic period style. Costumed guides will present themed tours that focus on historic traditions of the winter holidays. Both sites are open for these special Christmas-themed tours Friday-Sunday, Nov. 23-25, from 10-4 p.m.

All Sunnyside and Van Cortlandt Manor tours throughout December are themed for the holidays. In addition, both sites offer stunning evening candlelight tours on weekends in December.

On Thanksgiving weekend, visitors who come to Sunnyside, just off Route 9 in Tarrytown, will be treated to an amusing, lively, and family friendly version of the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, courtesy of Toni Rubio's Living Museum Company. Performances will take place at 12, 1, and 2:30 on Friday and Saturday (no performances on Sunday). In addition, families can enjoy Victorian Christmas decorations and special children's activities, including helping craft a gingerbread replica of Sunnyside and Victorian-style greeting cards and Christmas tree ornaments.

Sunnyside will also be raffling signed copies of children's books from the "Time Spies" series by award-winning author Candice Ransom, including Rider in the Night: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow. Raffle prizes are provided courtesy of Mirrorstone, a division of Wizards of the Coast Inc.

Thanksgiving weekend visitors to Van Cortlandt Manor, just off Route 9A in Croton-on-Hudson, can view and take part in early American post-harvest, pre-holiday activities, including candle and soap making, apple cider pressing, and open hearth cooking.

Candlelight Tours at Sunnyside, Dec. 8-9, 15-16

Sunnyside and the romantic landscape it's nestled in along the Hudson will be entirely lit by candlelight for four evenings: Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8-9, and 15-16. Tours are offered from 4-8 each evening and reservations are a must. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.hudsonvalley.org/ or by calling 914-631-8200, Ext. 618.

During the tours, quotes from Washington Irving and a bounty of candles help illuminate the holiday experience. A special treat takes place in the parlor, where Irving's circa 1830s pianoforte is played and visitors are invited to join in singing Christmas carols. At the end of the tour, hot cider is served outside, where visitors can stay warm next to a bonfire.

Candlelight evenings will also feature musical performances from local schools: Dec. 8, the Sleepy Hollow High School Chamber Singers; Dec. 9, Hackley School music department; Dec. 16, TBA; and Dec. 17, the Dobbs Ferry High School choir.

Candlelight Tours at Van Cortlandt Manor, Dec. 21-22, and 28-30

Van Cortlandt Manor candlelight tours take place Friday and Saturday, Dec. 21-22, and Friday through Sunday, Dec. 28-30. Tours are offered from 4-8 each evening and reservations are a must. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.hudsonvalley.org/ or by calling 914-631-8200, Ext. 618.

After a tour of the Manor House, which will be decorated for Christmas and features a harpist in the formal parlor, a guide carrying a candlelit lantern brings visitors to the site's Ferry House, where a first-person account of Twelfth Night takes place, featuring the Lord of Misrule who leads the festivities. Inside the Ferry House, visitors are encouraged to dance to fiddle music. Afterwards, it's time to toast the season with cider and cookies near the warmth of a bonfire.

Both historic sites are open from 10-4. Sunnyside is open daily except Tuesday through Dec. 31. Van Cortlandt Manor is open weekends through Dec. 30. Two other Historic Hudson Valley properties, Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, and the Union Church of Pocantico Hills, are also open Thanksgiving weekend. All Historic Hudson Valley sites are closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children 5-17, and free for those under five and for Historic Hudson Valley members.

Historic Hudson Valley is a network of six historic sites in Sleepy Hollow Country and the Great Estates region; Washington Irving's Sunnyside; Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate, a historic site of the National Trust; Philipsburg Manor; the Union Church of Pocantico Hills; Van Cortlandt Manor; and Montgomery Place Historic Estate.