Restaurants, Where to Get Things, and Hiking In and Near Sewanee
When you’re renting a vacation home, it’s sometimes difficult to find what you want. I hope this guide will help you out during your stay!
RESTAURANTS
In Sewanee
The Blue Chair and Shenanigan’s are located together in the village part of Sewanee. IvyWild and Crossroads Café are across the bypass (highway 41A).
The Blue Chair, (931) 598-5434. 41 University Avenue. Breakfast and lunch, plus they have a small market with gourmet-type food. This restaurant supports The Blue Monarch, a nonprofit organization that helps women and children. www.thebluechair.com
Crossroads Café, (931) 598-9988. 38 Ball Park Road, next to IvyWild. Singaporean food. Very tasty and usually pretty healthy. We usually eat here when we’re on the mountain. http://crossroadscafesewanee.com
IvyWild, (931) 598-9000. 36 Ball Park Road, behind the Sewanee Market. This restaurant is open Thursday-Saturday evenings only. It’s more expensive, but the food is fabulous. We highly recommend it. The menu is constantly evolving. http://www.facebook.com/pages/IvyWild-Sewanee/106435976045374
McClurg Dining Hall, (931) 598-1120. University Avenue, to the right of the Chapel. Student dining hall but open to the public. Big selection, serve yourself.
Natural Bridge Events, (931) 598-5566. 44 Natural Bridge Road. For catering services only. www.naturalbridgeevents.com
Shenanigans, (931) 598-5774. 12595 Sollace Freeman Highway. A little bit of everything, a casual atmosphere. The building has recently been renovated and no longer drastically leans. Open since 1974 (and I was there at the opening), but new owners as of early 2011. www.shenaniganstn.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shenanigans/222478721170
Stirling’s Coffee House, (931) 598-1885. 241 Georgia Avenue. (The Yellow Victorian House next to the Bishop’s Common.) Sandwiches, salads, breakfast breads, tea and of course coffee. Named after English professor Ted Stirling. www.sewanee.edu/stirlings
Tiger Bay Pub, (931) 598-1140. In the Bishop’s Common on Georgia Avenue (across the street from Du Pont Library).
RESTAURANTS OUTSIDE OF SEWANEE
In Monteagle
West Main Street is Highway 41A, the main road between Sewanee and Monteagle. There are fast food places in Monteagle that I didn’t bother to list. www.monteaglechamber.com
Crescent Café, at Mooney’s, (931) 924-7400. It’s a juice bar, located in a vintage RV, permanently parked in the yard at Mooney’s under the enormous old trees. It offers organic, vegan juices, smoothies (made to order), a Big Kale salad, a soup and a wrap that changes weekly; take out or eat there at picnic tables under the trees or in an enclosed back porch room for bad weather.
High Point, (931) 924-4600. 224 East Main Street. (Beyond I-24 on 41A). Fine dining. www.highpointrestaurant.net
Mi Casa, (931) 924-5550. 1236 West Main Street. (Between I-24 and Sewanee on 41A). Mexican.
Dave’s Modern Cafe, (931) 924-8363. 38 West Main Street. (Beyond I-24 on 41A) www.moderndavescafe.com
The Monteagle Inn, (931) 924-3869. 204 West Main Street. (Beyond I-24 on 41A). www.monteagleinn.com
Mountain Breeze Cafe, (931) 924-2233. 828 W. Main Street. (Between I-24 and Sewanee on 41A). www.mountainbreezecafe.com
Papa Ron’s, (931) 924-3355. 402 West Main Street. (Beyond I-24 on 41A). Italian. www.paparons.net
Shan’s Chinese Buffet, 211 Dixie Lee Avenue. (Beyond I-24, not on 41A, but visible from it).
The Smokehouse, (931) 924-2268. 850 West Main Street. (Between I-24 and Sewanee on 41A).
Cowan, Winchester, Tullahoma and Manchester are nearby towns if you find the Sewanee and Monteagle restaurants are too busy.
WHERE TO GET THINGS
It’s in Sewanee unless I indicate otherwise. I list what I know about in Sewanee, but outside of Sewanee I only list the main stores that have been around for a while and seem likely to remain. There are additional stores in Monteagle, Cowan and Winchester.
BANK
Regions, (931) 598-9512. 69 University Avenue (in the village). Plus two Regions’ ATMs, one at the bank and one at the University Supply Store.
GROCERIES
Farmers’ Market. On 41A, near the This runs in the summertime, probably starting Memorial Day Weekend. It’s on Saturday mornings, starting at 8, and there are usually flowers and baked goods as well as vegetables. Come early for the best selection!
Mooney’s Market and Emporium, Monteagle. 931-924-7400. 1265 W. Main Street (Highway 41A), but closer to Sewanee than Monteagle. Open every day from 10 to 6. One of my favorite places on the mountain, Mooney’s has a natural foods market, much like a tiny version of Whole Foods. It has a great selection of organic, gluten-free, vegan and local foods, health and beauty products, cleaning supplies and so much more. (They also have yarns, plants, antiques and local crafts, plus a restaurant called Crescent Café.) You can find Mooney’s on Facebook.
Piggly Wiggly, Monteagle. (931) 924-3135. 754 West Main Street. (Close to I-24.) You’ll think it looks bad inside (well, I do!), but management is very responsive to shoppers’ requests and have a decent selection that may surprise you once you start looking around.
Sewanee Market, (931) 598-5993. 25 Lake O’Donnell Road (across the street from the village, just off 41A). More like a 7-11 than a grocery, but they might have what you want.
University Supply Store, (931) 598-1153. University Avenue near the Chapel. Has some snack items.
Additional grocery stores. Winchester has a number of grocery stores. For organic or higher quality groceries, you may need to go to Chattanooga or Nashville. Nashville has a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe’s; Brentwood (suburb of Nashville) has a Fresh Foods.
DRUG/VARIETY STORES
CVS, Monteagle, (931) 924-2341. East Main Street. (Not sure of the street number.)
Dollar General, Monteagle, (931) 924-3959. 915 West Main Street (Highway 41A).
Fred’s, Monteagle, (931) 924-3207 (The pharmacy number is 931-924-4700). 829 West Main Street.
FLOWERS
Taylor’s Mercantile, (931) 598-5893. 10 University Avenue. (In the village.) Gifts, household items, flowers (and arrangements) and more! They do a great job.
Monteagle Florists, Monteagle, (931) 924-3292, 333 West Main Street.
GAS
Sewanee Auto Repair, (931) 598-5743. 76 University Avenue (in the village). Offers gas and car repair service. Not open on Saturday afternoon or Sunday.
Monteagle/Cowan/Winchester. There are a number of gas stations in these nearby towns.
MOVIES
Sewanee Union Theater, (931) 598-1500. South Carolina Avenue, behind Thompson’s Union and across from the Chapel. First-run movies, except on Thursdays when it’s a classic movie.
Winchester, has a movie theater on the square.
WINE AND LIQUOR
There are two liquor stores in Monteagle, and one in Cowan. Winchester has several. Beer is available at the Sewanee Market.
SHOPPING
The Lemon Fair, (931) 598-5248. 60 University Avenue (in the village). Purveyors of fine hand-made folk art, jewelry, pottery, blown glass, sculpture and gifts (including Sewanee angels). A long-time fixture in Sewanee, The Lemon Fair is a really wonderful shop with a fun selection of items! www.thelemonfair.com
Locals, (931) 598-0400. 49 University Avenue (in the village). Fabulous handmade crafts.
Mooney’s Market and Emporium, Monteagle. 931-924-7400. 1265 W. Main Street (Highway 41A), but closer to Sewanee than Monteagle. Open every day from 10 to 6. Mooney’s has yarns, plants, antiques and local crafts, plus a restaurant called Crescent Café. I just love seeing what they have! They also offer organic, gluten-free, vegan and local foods, plus health and beauty products, cleaning supplies and much more. You can find Mooney’s on Facebook.
Mountain Outfitters, Monteagle, (931) 924-4100, 903 West Main Street. Camping equipment and clothing with great sales. www.themountainoutfitters.com
Shenanigan’s, (931) 598-5774. 12595 Sollace Freeman Highway, offers some local arts and crafts for sale.
Taylor’s Mercantile, (931) 598-5893. 10 University Avenue. (In the village.) Gifts, household items, flowers (and arrangements) and more!
University Supply Store, (931) 598-1153. University Avenue near the Chapel. Now called the University Book and Supply Store, but more commonly known as the Supe (soup) Store. Has books, Sewanee gift items and clothing, and some other odds and ends.
Woody’s Bicycles, (931) 598-9793. 90 Reed’s Lane. (Right at the village.) Rents bicycles, and (I assume) sells and repairs them.
I-24 Flea Market-Arts-Crafts, Monteagle. (931) 924-2227. 424 West Main Street. Saturdays and Sundays only.
Hiking In and Near Sewanee
There are many hiking opportunities on the Cumberland Plateau. There are a number of brochures on hiking in this notebook, and I’m adding some of my personal comments below (although my personal comments don’t begin to cover all the various hikes in the area). If you hike in the summer, watch out for snakes and be sure to check for ticks as soon as you get home.
Near Sewanee
The South Cumberland State Park is 10 different areas in four counties. There are some fabulous hikes! The Visitor Center is located between Monteagle and Tracy City on Highway 41.
http://tennessee.gov/environment/parks/SouthCumberland/
Buggy Top Cave
Sewanee Natural Bridge
Fiery Gizzard Trail
Foster Falls
Savage Gulf
Stone Door
Greeter Falls
Meadow Trail
Grundy Lakes
Note that the Sewanee Natural Bridge is close to Aerie. It’s fun to see, although there is no hiking, just the natural bridge. The road leading to the Natural Bridge is about a mile toward town.
The Buggy Top Cave hike leads into Lost Cove, and the entrance is 2 or 3 miles beyond Aerie on the Sherwood Road (Highway 56). What goes down must come up, and coming UP this trail is tough. But Buggy Top Cave is pretty wonderful. You’ll hike down to a place where you must choose right or left, and you want to check out both. To the left is part of the cave, but not a part you can really see or go into. To the right is the Buggy Top part of the cave, but the last 50 yards down to it are a doozy.
Fiery Gizzard, Foster Falls, Savage Gulf and the Stone Door are all fabulous hikes; I believe there are bathrooms at all trailheads. The Stone Door is paved part of the way and is pretty flat, if you like to see wonderful mountain scenery but aren’t up to a strenuous hike.
In Sewanee
Sewanee’s Perimeter Trail is 20 miles of hiking, and we’ve done it all, but not in one day. (For a long time we couldn’t even find it all!). You can get on it at The Cross, Green’s View and Morgan’s Steep or off of the Breakfield Road. http://www.sewanee.edu/student-life/sewanee-outing-program/50-mi-of-trail-on-campus/
Abbo’s Alley is the wooded trail in the middle of Sewanee. It’s not a long hike, but it certainly is beautiful. You can get on it at the bottom of the hill on South Carolina Avenue; South Carolina is the road across from the Chapel.
Caldwell Rim Trail in Lost Cove is now open, and it’s a beautiful hike with a great stream at one end and a pine-lined fire road at the other. Here’s what a press release said about it:
“This 2.4-mile loop atop the plateau features scenic overlooks, bluff-lines, and a level of difficulty similar to those of Piney Point and Beckwith’s Point trails. The trail begins by following Depot Branch, affording several views of the stream bed and Point Disappointment. The trail then crosses several creeks and follows the bluffline overlooking Lost Cove. The single-track then connects back to a fire lane, allowing hikers to walk two abreast and enjoy conversation for the remainder of the loop. Caldwell Rim Trail is the first addition to a Lost Cove trail system that will provide educational and recreational opportunities for the Sewanee community. The trailhead is off Bob Stewman Road. To get there from University Avenue and the village, cross highway 41 (Sollace M. Freeman Highway) and turn left on Lake O’Donnell Road. Turn right on Bob Stewman Road and follow it to the end; there is a sign pointing you to the right to the parking area.”
Another section of this trail has opened; it leads you into Lost Cove and is a fun hike too. I can’t find any link to these trails except for this one, which gives information about several trails in Sewanee. https://issuu.com/sewanee/docs/sewanee_viewbook/115
Mountain Goat Trail. A paved Rails to Trails hike that goes between St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School and Cowan and now on to Monteagle; you can stop at Mooney’s for a little shopping. Paved, it parallels highway 41A. www.bringfido.com/attraction/trails/city/sewanee-tn-us/
http://www.traillink.com/trail/mountain-goat-trail.aspx
Franklin Forest. This is a new hiking area for us, and it’s very hard to tell how to get to a trailhead. If you drive about 7 miles on 156, you’ll see a cabin and a display that holds some maps for the trails. There is a trailhead almost across the street. It’s nice hiking, although these trails are not well-maintained, so we don’t hike there in the summer.
http://www.stateparks.com/franklin-marion_state_forest_in_tennessee.html
Breakfield Road fire roads. If you drive past the University Farm, you’re on the Breakfield Road and will enter the woods. There are a number of fire roads that bisect the Breakfield Road, and they are great hiking areas in the hotter weather because they’re wide and relatively brush-free so it’s easier to see snakes and easier to avoid touching plants that house ticks and chiggers. All of the fire roads eventually reach the Perimeter Trail (which is wide in some places and not in others).