How Do You Tour Washington Irvings Sunnyside?
Washington Irving was one of the first American writers to achieve international notoriety with his essays, sketches and such short stories as “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” After spending much of his life traveling, Irving settled down and bought a farmhouse in Tarrytown, New York, and set about converting it into his own private “snuggery.” The completed house, known as “Sunnyside,” was expanded and redesigned in a Dutch Colonial style, with stepped gables. It is a cozy house, but with a good number of rooms. Because of the immense popularity of its owner, the house soon became a favorite subject of prints and lithographs. Visitors are greeted by a tour guide dressed in clothes of Irving’s period. A small arched porch leads into a narrow hallway. To the right is the true heart of the home–Irving’s study. At the back of the room is a curtained alcove with a daybed placed in front of a wall of books. This is where Irving slept before the house was expanded to his
