NATALIJA UGRINA

I wasn’t planning to find Hogwarts in Sewanee Tennessee. Actually, I wasn’t planning anything at all. It was one of those spontaneous stops—just driving, thinking I’d pass through, maybe take a quick photo, and keep going. But the moment I arrived in Sewanee, something shifted. I slowed down without even realizing it, and then I stopped completely. Because suddenly… this didn’t feel like Tennessee anymore. The air felt quieter, the trees felt taller, and right in front of me

I was originally planning to spend the day visiting small towns around Nashville. No real plan, just driving and stopping wherever looked interesting. At some point, I took a turn I didn’t mean to take—and that’s how I ended up in Lynchburg. At first, it didn’t feel like anything special. Just a quiet Southern town with a courthouse, a few shops, and not much going on. I almost kept driving, but something about it made me slow down. It felt calm in a way that didn’t seem stag