Van Cortlandt Manor
5 Riverside Avenue
Croton-on-the-Hudson, NY 10502
(914) 366-6900
Open: See website for seasonal hours
My review on TripAdvisor (Manor and Pumpkin Blaze):
A trip to the Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-the-Hudson is an interesting step back into the Colonial history of this country. During the summer, there is an interesting walking tour of the home offered usually from the end of July to Labor Day. Then the house is closed to prepare for the huge ‘Pumpkin Blaze’ during the months of October and November and then the house is shut down until the spring.
The house tour is interesting because it shows the home as a working farm and place of commerce for the family. This was not a weekend home for the family working in the City but crops being grown for shipping, vibrant gardens that supplied the house and a small tavern for travelers along the Albany Post Road as well as a place for shipping goods down the rivers.
Van Cortlandt Manor
The home is furnished in the most modern furnishings of the time and you can see how the house reflected the needs of the family at that time. It was more of a home than a luxurious place to entertain. The furnishes are practical, very in fashion of the time and nicely decorated.
The Dining Room
The tour of the kitchens and storage areas show that even in what was the modern era was not such easy living without servants. The estate was somewhat self-contained with animals and provisions being raised on the land and there is even an area where fabric such as flax and cotton where spun and made into clothing.
The kitchen dining area
The upstairs bedrooms show that the linens were under lock and key even with the servants and that the rooms were well-appointed and comfortable. A lot of the family heirlooms still reside in the house and it gives you a perfect look at what life must have been like when the family lived here.
Don’t miss the gardens as well. Some have been over-grown because of the lack of volunteers but still you can see the beauty of the flowers and trees around the house. The house sits right on the cross between the Croton and Hudson rivers and even though it is now grown in, you can see that the house stood at one of the busiest sections of Upstate commerce.
As of 2026, the home is still under renovation and is still not open for inside tours.
The Pumpkin Blaze-Hudson Valley Historical Association:
During the months of Halloween, there are thousands of pumpkins that line the walks and beautiful displays to see along the paths of the estate and the river. This event is sponsored by the Hudson Valley Historical Association and is one of their biggest fundraisers. Don’t miss this annual event every fall.
The Blaze is amazing!
The Pumpkin Blaze in 2019:
Some pictures from the MoMA Pumpkin Museum:
Their version of “The Scream”:
The Van Cortlandt Manor ablaze with lights and sounds
Justin Watrel at the Pumpkin Blaze
My Aunt and I at the Pumpkin Blaze in 2019
The Pumpkin Blaze in 2022:
Entering the Pumpkin Blaze in 2022
Pumpkins greeting you in all shapes and sizes
The Pumpkin Planetarium at the Pumpkin Blaze
My video walking inside
Pumpkin Bee Hive
The “Terror Zee Bridge” at the Pumpkin Blaze
The Pumpkin Carousel
My video on the Carousel
The Pumpkin Fire Services
The Headless Horseman is the theme of many October festivals in the Hudson River Valley
The Pumpkin Blaze in 2026:
The Blaze this year I noticed had less carved pumpkins and more props which led me to believe they have less people to carve pumpkins. Still there were a lot of new displays and new music. Here are some of the things I saw on the Blaze in 2026:
Arriving at the Blaze the weekend before Halloween
I noticed one thing about the Blaze and that is the crowds are much bigger before Halloween than after and the weather is much warmer. When I got there, it was 60 degrees and sunny. When I left at 9:30pm, it was 40 degrees. Quite the drop, so always dress warmly.
The entrance to the Blaze in 2026
The entrance to the Blaze
The shoe has gotten very popular over the years and the crowd was really big when I got there at 8:00pm. All the times from 8:00pm and before were completely sold out.
The dancing Skelatons
The video on the Skelatons
I walked through the exhibition and the carved pumpkins are mostly in this part of the display. After I left this area, it was mostly props.
The carved pumpkins on display
My favorite pumpkin of 2026
The pumpkins lining the entrance to the inside of the Blaze
Some of the pumpkins were really creative
I thought this was very clever
The inside of the Blaze at night
This clever owl was part of the new displays in 2026
My video of the owl
The octopus was new
So was this octopus
The way they lit the grounds was colorful and eerie
The birthday cake was new
The trick or treaters were new and I thought very clever
The Wizard of Oz display
Van Cortlandt Manor was a disco dance that evening. This was led by a pumpkin DJ
My video on the dance
The Pumpkin DJ
My video on the Pumpkin DJ
I thought this was very clever. The music was a lot of fun and people really got into it. There were a lot of lights and sounds.
The Blaze from a distance in 2026
The Headless Horsemen Bridge kept with the theme of the event
The Headless Horseman at the other side of the bridge
Ghosts and ghouls and gravestones lined the paths
The carved pumpkins stare at you as you leave for the evening
The pumpkins staring and saying goodbye at the end of the Blaze
If you dare!
The family displays to take pictures at the end of the Blaze
The ever popular gift shop which raises money for these much needed sites
The annual Pumpkin Blaze takes place each year from the first weekend in October until the second weekend in November. Trust me I have gone many years on the last night of the Blaze and it gets cold by that weekend so plan the visit accordingly.
It is also always busier before Halloween so if you want good picture taking, plan to go after Halloween and late in the evening. On the 9:00pm time slot, you get great pictures.
The event raises money for the upkeep and maintenance of all the organization’s sites. I wonder if the Van Cortlandt’s ever thought a hundred years ago that this would go on at their home?
The History of the Van Cortlandt Manor:
(from the museum site website)
By Royal Charter, Van Cortlandt Manor was originally a 86,000 acre tract granted as a patent to Stephanus Van Cortlandt in 1697 by King William III, stretching from the Hudson River on the west to the first boundary line between the Province of New York and the Colony of Connecticut, on the east, twenty English miles in length by ten miles in width in shape nearly a rectangular parallelogram forming, “The Manor of Cortlandt”.
The massive holding was acquired by direct purchase from the Indians, in part by Stephanus van Cortlandt, a native born Dutch gentleman of New York and in part by others whose titles he subsequently bought, this tract together with a small tract on the west side of the Hudson River opposite the promontory of Anthony’s Nose, which he also purchased from the Indians.
The Manor House was built sometime before 1732 but was not any owner’s principal residence until a grandson, Pierre Van Cortlandt, moved there in 1749. At the time the manor house was on a 1000 acre portion of the original tract.
Pierre brought his family to the estate in 1749 and established the manor into it most vibrant days, according to some. During this period, the manor was operating an apple orchard, dairy farm, a bee house, a kiln, a tavern and a carpenter and blacksmith shops. Van Cortlandt Manor was a self-sustaining community while Pierre and his family resided in the estate. At this time, tensions leading to the Revolutionary War were building and the manor would become a place of wartime retreat.
Pierre sided with the colonies and the manor was used to assist the Continental Army, using its resources to make food and supplies. Pierre was involved with military legislature and his son Philip was a soldier for the Continental Army. Eventually Pierre and his family vacated the manor in the thick of war. The manor was ransacked by the British Army and left in poor standing. Philip, becoming a brigadier general by the war’s end, returned and along with his sister, Catherine, brought the manor back to working order.
Van Cortlandt Manor became an essential stop on the route from New York to Albany in the years that followed the war. The mills were once again thriving and provided the community and travelers with food, supplies and lodging. Pierre and his wife did not return until 1803 once the manor was in full working order again. The manor was passed down in the family until it was sold to a non-relative, Otis Taylor in 1945. By this time, the property had lost its luster and was not the flourishing estate it had once been.
In 1953, John D. Rockefeller Jr. purchased the property and began restoring the manor to previous prominence. In 1961, Van Cortlandt Manor became registered as a National Historic Landmark.
Disclaimer: This information on the history of the house was provided by Wiki and I give them full credit on the information.
Places locally to eat before the Blaze:
Located in the ShopRite Mall next to the Blaze:
The inside of Dong Happy Gardens
The food at Dong Happy Gardens in the Shoprite Mall is excellent and you can sit down in the restaurant. It is the perfect place for lunch or dinner before or after the Blaze. Their Lo Mein and General Tso’s Chicken are excellent. On this trip, I had the Chicken and String beans with an egg roll. Please read my reviews on TripAdvisor.
The Chicken and String beans combination meal
The Chicken and String beans was delicious
The food here is so good and you can eat inside
Dong Happy Garden
440 South River Side Avenue
Croton on the Hudson, NY 10520
(914) 271-7888/8268
https://www.menupix.com/westchester/restaurants/3212099/Dong-Happy-Garden-Menu-Croton-On-Hudson-NY
Open: Sunday 12:00pm-9:00pm/Monday Closed/Tuesday-Saturday 11:00am-10:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
Even the local ShopRite in the mall got into it
