An immersive Halloween-season tour with a performance of “The Raven” at the Armour-Stiner Octagon House, Irvington, NY

For two October weekends only, the Armour-Stiner Octagon House goes back more than a century to host a literary evening. Guests are welcomed as visitors to the annual salon of Jessie Clarke, one of the most puzzling people ever to live in the eight-sided house. Wealthy relatives set the house aside for her, and she lived there for 25 years until her death in 1933, reportedly mostly alone. Much about her remains unclear, including the state of her health in those years, which was never documented and is still debated. This 75-minute immersive tour mixes the house’s real history with a hint of the uncanny. It ends with a dramatic reading of “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe himself.

After the performance, guests can visit Remember You Must Die, an exhibition drawn from Ryan Matthew Cohn’s Memento Mori collection. With objects ranging from ancient artifacts to contemporary works, it explores how earlier generations dealt with death through art, ritual, remembrance, and spiritual practice.

For fans of Poe, Victorian mystery, or theatrical history, it’s a fitting stop on any October outing in Sleepy Hollow Country.

Details: Performances run over two October weekends: Friday and Saturday, October 2–3 and 9–10, at 4:00 pm and 5:45 pm, and Sunday, October 4 and 11, at 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm. Tickets are $58 per person and required for every guest. Because the tour often touches on 19th-century illness, disaster, and death, it’s open to ages 12 and up. The route includes three flights of stairs and extended standing, so it isn’t accessible for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility. Free on-site parking is limited, so carpooling is encouraged, and guests should arrive no more than 15 minutes early.