Sleepy Hollow

Okay, yes, I know it is super crowded. But that just helps get in the spirit in my opinion. Everyone is driving slowly and or walking the streets to take in the beautiful lights. You want to take your time there, drive around a couple times. If you are in a rush, don’t bother.
I love how all the trees in the neighborhood have lights stung up connecting them all. Almost all of the houses partake and many neighborhood kids are outside selling hot cocoa. I will keep coming back every year.
There is also an amazing ice cream place about ½ mile away called Handls. I love grabbing a scoop there and then checking out the lights.
**Most of the lights start turning off around 10PM.

It gets really busy but the houses are decorated so cutely and some of the houses sell hot chocolate usually to support different groups. It is awesome just know that it might take a while to get through.

This place is awesome for family and kids all around. It has multiple families selling treats and hot chocolate for fund raisers. There is a Santa Claus and a Santa Grinch you can take photos with. Parking is great if you park away from the chaos and come early uts better. Less traffic and way more treats for the kids. (Please don’t go here and leave trash let’s keep it nice and clean for the great community that puts this together every year)

plan to make it our third year going the lights leave you speechless and my sons eyes just go into an aww but bring cash there are families selling hot cocoa, popcorn, etc outside their home

like the teacher in A Christmas Story does, i give this place an A + + + + + + …
it’s difficult to put into words such a treat like this. i gotta start by saying if you’re reading this AFTER the holidays, sorry. you’ll just have to wait till next year.
nestled away in the backside/​southside of South Redondo/​West Torrance is Sleepy Hollow. inconspicous to most during the rest of the year, but, flocked to by the hundreds during the Christmas season. block upon block of lighted trees, houses adorned with every conceivable ornament, character and façade that one could possible think of, and then some!
mama and i initially considered trying out El Segundo’s CCL, but, decided to go big. we brought the little one and she was just mesmerized. she’s a big fan of blinky blinks and shiny things so you can just imagine her astonishment. we went on a Friday night, a couple days to Christmas. the cars started lining up right as dusk was settling in. we were fortunate and adventurous (passing up sofi’s dinner time) enough to trek on foot. way better idea. we were able to get up close and personal with some of the décor. plus it gave us a chance to sample the myriad of front yard confectioneering going on. those kids are geniuses. $ 1 for a cup of hot chocolate from a paper pack? i’ll take 2!
we had a really, really fun time here. most definitely coming again next year. the sidewalks are a bit on the rugged side at some points so if you bring a stroller, keep that in mind. there are several blocks that are lit up, going in all directions so find a map and plan ahead. oh, and bundle up!

I’ve seen some spectacular Christmas light neighborhoods in my day, but what I really like about the more quaint neighborhood of Sleepy Hollow is that it has some «togetherness» about it. Instead of each house competing against the next with often clashing and tacky themes, the decorations in this neighborhood are traditional and just plain charming. Wreaths, snowmen, lights of every color, Santa sleighs, reindeer, big red bows. Who needs the giant Disney character cut-​outs on their lawn, anyway?
My favorite part of Sleepy Hollow is what you see when you stand in the middle of Robert Rd. and look down the street. All the residents have strung up white lights on their trees in a similar sweeping fashion, so it looks like the street is lined with giant glittering chandeliers, lighting your way.
To get the full effect, walk through, don’t drive. Neighbors are selling popcorn, candy, churros, hot cocoa, hot dogs – take advantage! What kind of a Unilocaler would you be if you didn’t eat while you were there?

I can’t believe I’ve been living in Torrance for almost 20 years and never came here during the holidays!
When I was little, I only heard stories of this «candy cane lane» in Torrance and never knew it was officially called «Sleepy Hollow» til now. It’s a neighborhood that goes all out during the holidays and most of the houses are decorated with lights, reindeer statues, snowflakes, snowmen, inflatable Santas, pretty much every kind of Christmas decoration you can imagine! It’s quite an amazing sight! I came on Christmas Eve with my bf and the streets were packed! Most people seemed to want to enjoy the lights from their cars, slowly cruising down the streets with their families at 0.2 mph. But I think it’s better to park on Calle Mayor or one of the small streets nearby and then walk to Robert Rd. where all the action is happening. And don’t forget to bring a camera! :)
There was even a family selling hot cocoa outside their home! How adorable is that!
Definitelyyyy a must-​see during the holidays if you live nearby!

I had never heard of this neighborhood before Unilocal… so after finding out what this was, i ended up going here a week later.
for what it is, its pretty cool… my advice is to just park nearby, and walk the whole thing. its more fun that way.
as for decorations, it wasnt that impressive. I had expected TONS of lights and elaborate decorations… but i didnt really find much of that. almost all houses were decorated, but there are some that are over-​achievers that put tons of flair to the house, it makes all the other houses in the area look like cheapasses.
the one thing i like about this neighborhood is that people sell churros, cookies, hot chocolate etc… but sometimes i gotta wonder, dont you need a license to sell food? even if its out of your own house, i swear theres a health code where any food being served must be inspected for the kitchen in which it came from…
but i digress.
LIKES: its the christmas spirit!!! people selling stuff for consumption. me having a thermos full of hot cocoa and schnapps, and cops not knowing i was getting tanked while walking the neighborhood.
DISLIKES: some houses were nicely done, but not like zOMG WOW GOTTA COME HERE!
VERDICT: i wouldnt drive here if you live more than 20 minutes away… its just not worth your time or effort. i wouldnt come here again because i just wasnt impressed… but if youre bored, and you wanna do a nice walk somewhere, this is your spot!

I love this candy cane lane in Torrance, my home town!!! It’s SO insanely awesome, and just around the block there is a house that has their own radio station that they coordinate a light show to. You can just file past slowly in your cars, and tune in to their radio station to see the house-​light-​show, just like you’ve seen in you-​tube videos and Christmas movies!
Sleepy Hollow is ridiculous! I vote on walking around, not driving, to get more of the Christmas feel! If you’re going to drive, follow Joan S. advice about where to enter. If you want to park, you can just park on PCH and cross the street to enter. The residents there are actually pretty friendly, and drive around in golf carts (easier access) and a lot of them sell things– hot chocolate, BBQ (yes, real food!), popcorn, hot dogs, cookies, cotton candy, Christmas trinkets… there is also usually a band that plays on one corner, making it just TOO festive! I love love love Christmas, and this place will definitely infect you with the Christmas spirit!!!

Took my mom to see lights here the day before Xmas eve. We almost turned back home after we saw the horrid line to get into the neighborhood. Traffic was a bit horrendous as we drove around about three-​four blocks which took 1.5 hours, but my mom enjoyed herself and took pictures of all the pretty decorations. The neighborhood is really cute and there are little kids selling hot cocoa and candy canes on the street. People sell popcorn and even churros too! It really felt like Christmas in the little neighborhood. The lights aren’t extravagant, but lots of funny, cute ideas, like «Balloon Santa», which I guess is after the balloon boy, and there are little ferris wheels with lights and all kinds of decorations all over. Lots of people walking around with their families and other families loaded their kids in the back of pick up trucks whiled they yelled out Merry Christmas to everyone. Very cute experience though I’d probably try to go on a less crowded day.

I went on Christmas Day at around 6 PM to beat the crowd. We were able to park inside the neighborhood and stopped wherever we want to for picture-​taking and drove off to another street until we stopped for another scene. Reese street has been voted «best of the best» so we walked along both sides to catch the best decoration. We didn’t encounter the expected bumper-​to-​bumper traffic jam.
Sleepy Hollow is a beautiful place and i understand why so many ppl want to go there during Christmas. It is not a show-​off for extravagence but more like a presentation of diff motifs of what Christmas means to the residents. Some focused on cartoon characters. Some are religious. Some are sci-​fi. Some are cultural. It is touching to see so many ppl putting their thoughts into the decoration for others to see in midst of a worsening economy and a poor weather forecast.
Christmas needs not to be all-​entertaining. Family times. Friendship. Beautiful lights and decorative things. These all add warmth to the atmosphere. But if your heart is not at peace, anywhere you go to, Sleepy Hollow or not, you will find it just irritating.
Pls check out my pictures posted for my trip to Sleepy Hollow. Wish you all a Merry Christmas.

once you are able to get into this neighborhood you will be amazed at all the festivities. BUT, i sat in traffic for about an hour and a half to get in. all the while you have a-​hole trying to muscle themselves into line in front of you and people having total stand-​offs and playing chicken with their cars… what was supposed to be a wonderful family outing turned out to be something –no joke– i plan on celebrating never doing again. My 5 and 8 year old daughter’s are telling me don’t let that jerk cut in… and good job dad, you blocked him out. great for all you people who enjoy it, and it would be fun if it weren’t for all the a-​holes who ruined it for us. there should have been at least 1 cop directing traffic. i mean, i wait in line for over an hour and toward the end when people were trying to muscle there way in, i started taking off my watch, etc. preparing to throw some blows… had to do a reality check… suck the holiday spirit right out of me… it was cool inside but never again.

When I was a little girl, every Christmas my parents would take us to a place called Winter Haven in Tucson AZ. It was a quaint neighborhood (a couple of blocks or so at the time) where the homeowners would put on a beautiful light display for the holidays. But this experience was that times 20. Last night, we packed up the apple cider and our two bulldogs & headed on down to Sleepy Hollow to see the neighborhood’s light display. I was expecting it to be like Winter Haven which I was happy with… but like Lori K. said, these homeowners really do go all out in decorating their homes for Christmas. Every home looked like Clark Griswold’s did in Christmas Vacation. White lights dangling from every large oak tree in the neighborhood … and on top of that, each house creates their own elaborate display of lights and decorations. This is one of those places where the term, «over the top» is a good thing. You can drive or park your car and walk… if you do drive, go slow so you don’t hit anyone who’s walking around and be courteous… turn your lights off. We opted to drive with the dogs staring out the window (even they were in awe of the lights!) while we listened to Christmas music… ok…I know we’re cheesy… but don’t piss in my wheaties. I love Christmas and I intend on being as festive as I can until the holidays are over. And this place will definitely get you in the holiday spirit if you’re not quite there yet. Easy to find and highly recommended. Lastly, thank you to the homeowners who have taken it upon themselves to create such a joyous experience for the community. I loved it… and so will you.

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without little traditions. When I was a kid my cousins and I had a tradition where we would pile into my oldest cousin’s car and she would take us around to Santa’s house in Burbank and Santa Claus lane out in the 626. Then we started hitting up the DWP Light Festival.
Since I moved to the South Bay, Sleepy Hollow in South Torrance has more than filled this void for me. The home owners in these neighborhoods which are collectively referred to as sleepy hollow seriously go ALL out every year and deck the halls to the extreme.
This year my friends and I joined the South Bay Cruisers on a bike ride through the area and it was such a better way to experience the holiday festivity than being stuck in a car. There was so much to take in I’m sure I only took in about 40% of everything that was going on. It was so nice to see the home owners sitting outside wishing the passersby a Merry Christmas while they roasted marshmallows and drank cider and hot chocolate. Everyone was so friendly and warm and the ambiance was so festive I felt like I was in Stars Hollow not Sleepy Hollow.
If you like to get into the Holiday spirit or are looking for a cool Holiday activity definitely consider coming down to Sleepy Hollow to see the way these neighborhoods are decorated and to experience the warm fuzziness for yourself.

Who knew getting stuck in traffic and getting lost could be so much fun!
We had a blast driving very very slowly around and around this cute neighborhood. There are even cute kids selling hot chocolates and fresh mistoles in front of their cute houses.

It’s been going on here for the past 20 years: the grandaddy of all neighborhood light displays.
My little camera could not come close to capturing the grandeur of the sight of endless drooping tree branches strung with white lights, viewed from the top of a hill.
Enter at Robert Road and Pacific Coast Hwy. You can drive around the neighborhood or you can park and walk. The line of cars is steady and unending, every day, from dusk on… between Thanksgiving and New Years. On foot, it is possible to get hopelessly lost in this magical winter wonderland, as I did with my son and his girlfriend last year.
We went on Christmas Eve, the most popular day. There were skateboarding Santas, kids screaming with delight from the backs of pick-​ups, hot chocolate and popcorn stands manned by local people, bubble machines, snow machines, blaring music, throngs of people… nothing short of joyous mayhem. We absolutely loved it.
The decorated area gets larger every year. It currently includes several square blocks, but seems even bigger. Every resident participates, which is why the effect is spectacular. The local homeowners put chairs and tables and bar-​b-​ques in their driveways and enjoy the parades of visitors. They cook marshmallows on outdoor fires and even sell food to benefit various charities.
It seems as if each house tries to outdo the others. This year the coolest thing I noticed was a TV projecting what I believe to be the movie «Penguins» on the front of a house done in a penguin theme.
What luck… tonight I struck up a conversation with the man who built the hang gliding Santa in my photo. He told me that his theme changes every couple of years, to present Santa entering by different methods. I remarked that his neighborhood brings so much joy to so many people, and he replied, «I know — that’s why we do it.»
He said that the locals prefer that the area be called Seaside Ranchos instead of Sleepy Hollow. The original homes were built in 1947, making it the first housing tract in the city of Torrance.
The residents welcome the Holiday visitors, and each year hope to attract more than the year before. This is old-​fashioned Holiday spirit at its finest and most exuberant. Don’t miss it.

Remember when the Grinch looked down on Who-​ville and was instantly nauseated? That’s how I felt growing up in this neighborhood, known to some as «Sleep Hallow.» Every year the Who neighbors drag out boxes of lights, hand-​crafted figures, and even mechanical robots to help bring Christmas spirit to the South Bay. And just like Dr. Seuss’ story, after the decorating is done, those darn Whos begin hand holding, ringing bells, and singing (and singing, and singing) nightly. Droves of other Whos, like little lemming rodents, begin flooding the streets with their collective cheer too. (Oh, the noise! Noise! Noise!)
Cars cuddle close, bumper to bumper, to join the 4 mile stretch other Christmas tree thumpers. All the Who girls, and all the Who boys, race down the streets dreaming of toys. Mommies and daddies are walking behind, buying hot coco, and admiring real-​estate signs. You’ll notice the reek of energy depletion, while they prance around – those Christmas light cretins! If you’re the mood, to be a Little Cindy-​Lou Who – I’ve given my warning – this rating’s for YOU.