Just 40 minutes by train from NYC, Ossining is an adorable multi-cultural village filled with hidden treasures, a variety of tasty foods and hands down, the best sunset on the planet.
We get to hear about many of the things people love through the Ossining Moms Facebook Group so we have chosen a few of our favorite things to share, starting with some special seasonal offerings!
Winter, Spring Summer or Fall (non-Covid years of course) all you have to do is call, stop by or take a trip. There is so much to choose from.
In Winter, during the holiday season Ossining hosts a tree lighting celebration in Market Square with hot chocolate and Santa of course, and a festive menorah lighting, too! Vet’s Park occasionally has an open skate in their outdoor ice rink. Bring your skates and be ready to have a blast!
In Spring the Ossining JCYS Organization kicks off the baseball and softball season with a parade featuring hundreds of kids in the community marching down the streets complete with homemade team banners getting everyone excited for the first pitch! Ossining also features the only Make Music Day celebration in the county on the Summer Solstice each year, 6/21. Make Music Day is a day of pop-up live music for everyone to listen to, create and enjoy run by the Make Music Ossining Briarcliff Organization. We also have one of the largest Earth Day celebrations in all Westchester County run by the Green Ossining Organization featuring music, food, and plenty of activities that celebrate the Earth.
In the summer, you can enjoy a wide variety of live music at the Ossining Waterfront every Friday while watching the sunset over the Hudson. We are so lucky to have such great restaurants on the water too. A fabulous meal and water views are a win-win for everyone from places like Three Westerly and The Boathouse! And how can anyone not want to go to the spray Park at Louis Engel on a hot day and enjoy some ice cream at the new Bigfoot Creamery?
In the fall, you will be greeted by festive Scarecrows which you will find all over Ossining created by the Ossining Girl Scouts. This initiative helps Ossining get into the Fall Spirit. Each year, Ossining residents look forward to taking the tour around town with a provided map of these incredible scarecrows. The fall foliage along route 134 is also a site to see. No map needed for that!
Our community has some really tasty options including Village Villarina’s for yummy sandwiches and pizza, Melike for delicious Turkish foods including kabobs and Baklava. There is also Picante Quimbaya for aromatic cinnamon coffee and Aji Limo for traditional Peruvian Cuisine. You can grab a vegan soup from Good Choice Kitchen and make a stop at D’Italia Pizza on North Highland or Capri at Arcadian for that perfect pizza, calzone and garlic knots.
If you are looking for a cut, color and blow out, Shine Salon and Spa will leave you feeling beautiful and you can stop by Bobs Army-Navy right next door. Bob’s is one of the best places to buy good quality leather jackets, American-made boots and some of the most popular brands. Pop over to Melita's and pick up some unique gifts for all your friends.
Ossining pride is contagious. Everyone is sporting their maroon and white whether you play a sport or not! You can purchase Opride swag at LaurLee Sports where you can also get everything you need for your athlete. Just down the road is Family Veterinary Care which is a great place to bring your pets for a personable local vet who goes above and beyond. Then you can head toward Croton Avenue where you can find many things to do, see and buy.
Croton Avenue has been home of the arts in Ossining for decades. This is where you will find Logrea Dance Academy, a family owned dance studio dedicated to teaching the art of dance in a fun and safe environment for the past 35 years.
Also on Croton Avenue, you will find Mike Risko Music School & Store, offering music lessons, classes, musical theater with plenty of performances as well as a retail store with every musical instrument you can imagine. You can even join a band and learn to rock. While you are waiting for your music or dance lesson, you can get your car repaired at E and L Automotive and you can also get a new phone case or fix your computer at West Co Cell Phone Repair. You may even get a chance to squeeze in some grocery shopping at Four Seasons Market on Croton Avenue where you will find great produce or check out Dragon Fly Yoga and Wellness, a great place for a yoga class or an acupuncture session.
Croton Avenue is home to the Ossining Public Library, one of the largest libraries in Westchester. It is a great place to grab a good book and read it while overlooking the majestic views of Ossining. You will also find all kinds of artistic programming in the Budarz Theater located on the ground floor of the library. Ossining is also lucky to have Home Run Against Drugs also on Croton Avenue which is an organization that promotes healthy lifestyle choices in the community through empowerment and education. They also provide a mentoring program to help foster development of positive behavior, academic and mental health outcomes in youth.
In need of a snack while you are on this side of town, grab a cauliflower pizza from Ossining Pizzeria. Or head over to the Tasty Table, the perfect place to enjoy breakfast, lunch or brunch. Be sure to end your meal with one of their delicious sweet treats.
Melrose Lumber is a great place to find what you need to remodel, build and fix just about anything and if you don't want to tackle the project yourself, Sunrise Building and Remodeling would be happy to help. From Bathrooms to additions, no wonder they have been in business for over 35 years. Their craftmanship is exquisite.
Cafe Las America’s has delicious smoothies which you can take with you to many of the parks in Ossining. Each playground is more unique than the next for example, The Arthur Jones Park, also known to regulars as Triangle Park. This park offers easy parking and an opportunity to get in a quick play date with a friend on all different kinds of climbing structures.
Ossining is the home of 7 Little Libraries which are run by the Ossining PTA and OUFSD. Ossining residents love to grab a book and donate books to share. Parents often make a little event of their trips to the libraries and kids look forward to taking a new book home to read.
If you are just looking for a nice walk, take a stroll down some of the quaint streets in the village of Ossining where you will find lots of Dutch Colonial Or Victorian Homes.
There is so much in our community, there is something for everyone. These are just a few of the favorite things but we are sure they will keep you busy, engaged and full for your trip to our community. Whatever you do, be sure to stick around for our sunset and get your camera ready to take some pictures. It will be the perfect ending to a beautiful day in Ossining.
