Gothic stone architecture, a music venue beneath the earth, 30,000 acres of state park — and skies dark enough to see the Milky Way from your porch.
Sewanee, Tennessee occupies a storied stretch of the Cumberland Plateau — a landscape of old-growth forest, sandstone bluffs, waterfalls and overlook. Home to the University of the South and its 13,000-acre Domain, the town has a deep literary and architectural history, and a slower, more deliberate pace of living.
A 13,000-acre Domain of Gothic Revival halls, All Saints' Chapel, and wooded perimeter trails — open to residents of Sewanee.
Visit the University
A subterranean amphitheater the size of three football fields and the home of PBS's Bluegrass Underground — just down the mountain.
Explore The Caverns
The Cumberland Plateau is sculpted by millennia of water through sandstone — leaving behind natural rock bridges, deep swimming holes, and hidden waterfalls accessible by trail. The Lost Cove East natural rock bridge is among the most striking.
The University of the South's 13,000-acre Domain is itself a conserved wilderness: stone Gothic Revival halls, All Saints' Chapel, and a 20-mile Perimeter Trail along the bluffs.
South Cumberland State Park is the largest park in Tennessee's system — a mosaic of nine distinct natural areas preserving the plateau's most striking scenery.
The Fiery Gizzard Trail has been named one of the top 25 hiking trails in the nation. Foster Falls drops some 60 feet into a deep rock amphitheater. The Lost Cove East natural rock bridge spans a sandstone chasm. The University's Perimeter Trail traces the bluff line of the Domain.
And if it's a quieter outing you're after, the Mountain Goat Trail — a converted rail bed — links Monteagle, Sewanee, and Tracy City through twelve paved, mostly level miles.
The Caverns, just down the plateau, is one of the most remarkable music venues in the world: a subterranean amphitheater with extraordinary natural acoustics and the longtime home of PBS's Emmy-winning Bluegrass Underground.
Anchor acts from across the Americana, bluegrass, jazz, and rock canons perform here year-round — an unlikely cultural landmark fifteen minutes from your front gate.
Sewanee's dining scene punches well above its size — thanks in part to the University's appetite for craftsmanship and hospitality.
Celebrated Nashville chef Julia Sullivan's newest restaurant, bringing refined, ingredient-driven Southern cooking to the plateau.
The beloved Sewanee institution — a neighborhood pub & deli with a deep porch and an even deeper local following.
The campus's unofficial living room — pastries, strong espresso, and a changing menu of lunch plates and house-baked breads.
A speakeasy-style bar hidden just off the University Avenue corridor, known for its thoughtful cocktails and intimate room.
With virtually no light pollution on the plateau, the night sky above Sewanee is one of the darkest in the eastern United States — a place where the Milky Way is still a weekly event.
On Stargazing in SewaneeFrom the Gothic Revival architecture of the University to the dark-sky stargazing of the plateau — read the full feature exploring what makes Sewanee unlike anywhere else.
Read the FeatureWe'd be honored to host you on the property and around town. Schedule a visit or request a brochure — we'll tailor the day to what interests you most.
