Sewanee: The University Of The South

America’s Best Small Towns of 2025

"Set atop Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, Sewanee looks like a sleepy college town lost in the woods but is surprisingly active culturally—throughout its 170-year history it has been entangled in wider hopes, conflicts, and traditions, and today it supports artistic self-expression across books, poetry, music, architecture, dance, and theater. The town sustains long-running institutions like The Sewanee Review (America’s oldest continuously published literary quarterly) and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and local scholars note that Sewanee is a place where ideas form and take root." - Travel + Leisure Editors Travel + Leisure Editors Since 1971, Travel + Leisure editors have followed one mission: to inform, inspire, and guide travelers to have deeper, more meaningful experiences. T+L's editors have traveled to countries all over the world, having flown, sailed, road tripped, and taken the train countless miles. They've visited small towns and big cities, hidden gems and popular destinations, beaches and mountains, and everything in between. With a breadth of knowledge about destinations around the globe, air travel, cruises, hotels, food and drinks, outdoor adventure, and more, they are able to take their real-world experience and provide readers with tried-and-tested trip ideas, in-depth intel, and inspiration at every point of a journey. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines

"Some of the South’s most important intellectuals have attended this prestigious private university since its founding by the Episcopal Church in 1857. However, you don’t have to be a student to enjoy the 1,300-acre campus, known locally as “The Domain.” Here, outdoor enthusiasts can take advantage of a challenging nine-hole golf course; trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding; caves; fishing ponds; beautiful waterfalls; and overlooks with sweeping views of the valleys below the Cumberland Plateau. Also save time to check out the school’s famous Gothic architecture, which is reminiscent of English universities like Oxford and Cambridge—in fact, Sewanee honors students still uphold the British tradition of wearing academic gowns to class. When hunger strikes, head to the small downtown village, located within an easy stroll of campus and filled with pubs, restaurants, and cute shops. The fall foliage here is unrivaled in the region, so time your visit to autumn for some breathtaking scenery."