Creepy Hudson Valley Halloween Legends

There are several Hudson Valley Towns that have an interesting history and their legends live on now in 2024.

Have you heard of the Abraham Lincoln Ghost Train of Hyde Park New York? Or the alleged goblins on Bannerman Island on the Hudson River near Beacon?

5 Of the Creepiest Hudson Valley Legends and Haunts

Take a look at these 5 local legends that will send a chill down your spine.

Could the Hudson Valley become a top Halloween vacation destination in the future? Judging by those stories...it could happen! Plus the region is home to a handful of Haunted Attractions like Kevin McCurdy's Haunted Mansion, The Headless Horseman Hayride and Haunted Houses, and the Wallkill Haunted Barn.

With that being said, one lower Hudson Valley town has been given a top Halloween honor from a major publication.

Small Lower Hudson Valley Village Makes Forbes Halloween Destination List

When it comes to Halloween towns in New York, there's 1 that immediately comes to mind: Sleepy Hollow, New York.

And rightfully so. The village is filled with history and of course it's the birthday place of the Legend of the Headless Horseman. Author Washington Irving, who's buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery wrote of a headless horseman who terrorized the small lower Hudson Valley village in his collection of short stories called The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.

Forbes took that into consideration while naming Sleepy Hollow # 2 on their Halloween Travel Destination list coming in behind, you probably guessed it, Salem Massachusetts.

The publication writes "this small town embraces its haunted heritage in full force every October." They go on to share all the fun there is to check out including a Headless Horseman reenactment and The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Tours.

Is Sleepy Hollow, NY The New Salem Massachusetts?

Is it just us or is Sleepy Hollow more popular now more than ever? We think it has a lot to do with social media and platforms like TikTok making the village look like Disney Land in the fall.

We're not the only ones. ABC 7 NY saw the trend and recently headed out to Sleepy Hollow to talk to visitors and in the process learned that people were traveling from all over the world and all over the country to get a taste of the haunted history.

They spoke with visitors from California, Philly and Hungary.

@abc7ny It's enough to lose your head over. 🎃 The "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" has literally stopped traffic flow throughout the Westchester County village, dead in its tracks on multiple occasions this month as it became the latest TikTok trend. #sleepyhollow#fall♬ original sound - ABC7NY

The streets of Salem, Massachusetts are jam packed with Halloween and witch enthusiasts from September through October. Will we see more of that in Sleepy Hollow in the future?

Take a Selfie With The Headless Horseman at the Twilight Village in Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of The Headless Horseman lives on in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Guests can experience the history and lore at the Twilight Village at Philipsburg Manor.

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Gallery Credit: CJ/Google Maps

Best Halloween Themes for Hudson Valley Towns

We asked people from the Hudsn Valley to tell us what Halloween decoration best represented their town and here are some results. Feel free to chime in with your town and its Halloween theme. We will be happy to add it to the list.

Gallery Credit: Paty Quyn