Sewanee, Tennessee

Home to the University of the South (1,800 students), cozy Sewanee is nestled atop the beautiful Cumberland Plateau in lush southcentral Tennessee. The university, also known as Sewanee, is an Episcopal liberal arts college. It is the heart and soul of Sewanee, but it is not known as a party school.

The college’s 13,000-acre campus, known as the “Domain,” is lush, covered in lakes, caves and forests. The school hosts frequent public lectures, exhibitions and concerts, including Friday Nights in the Park, and Theatre/Sewanee mounts three to four major productions per year. Summer on campus brings the annual orchestral music festival and the well-known writers’ conference. All readings at the conference are open to the public.

Although downtown Sewanee is tiny, it has a lively collection of dining and shopping establishments.

The Sewanee Golf and Tennis Club has nine holes and is set amid unusual sandstone outcroppings. Natural Bridge and the Mr. and Mrs. Larry Lee Carter Natural Area both have amazing views, and the nearby South Cumberland State Park features some of state’s best hiking trails.

Neighborhoods are leafy, with everything from ranch ramblers and plantation styles to Cape Cods. The Village on Sewanee Creek is a self-sustaining, eco-friendly community.