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Baltimore

Charm City. The City that Reads. Crab Cake Capital of the World. Baltimore has countless nicknames because it has endless character. 

Dubbed “the Coolest City on the East Coast” by Travel and Leisure, Baltimore is a major metropolis with a small-town feel. There’s simply no place like it. 

As any Greyhound will tell you, Loyola is just one reason to fall in love with Charm City. With more than 200 diverse neighborhoods, Baltimore provides an ideal backdrop to the Loyola experience, offering students myriad opportunities for fun, food, history and culture, music, art, professional sports, service and community engagement, internships and career networking, and self-discovery. You’ll draw inspiration and knowledge from Baltimore’s unique culture, history, people, neighborhoods, and institutions—and discover ways to make your own mark on a city you’ll quickly come to love.

Cherry blossoms in downtown BaltimoreBaltimore's Inner Harbor with a boat and the National Aquarium

Baltimore offers various transit options, including the free Charm City Circulator and Towson Loop, plus a mix of bus, light rail, and subway lines, as well as ride-sharing services to get you where you want to go. Loyola students have plenty of opportunities through their classes and with the office of student engagement—as well as through Messina, Loyola’s first-year experience—to get off campus to discover Baltimore’s many neighborhoods; to attend professional sporting events, concerts, the symphony, and the theater; to explore historical sites, parks, and world-class museums and restaurants, and much more.

Be inspired by Baltimore
4th largest metropolitan area in the U.S.
250+ Unique Neighborhoods to explore
Home to 120,000 college students at 13 universities
Coolest City on the East Coast Travel and Leisure
Top 3 Best cities for new college grads
No. 5 Rising cities for startups
Top 52 places to go in the world New York Times
No. 9 Top Foodie City
 

Student Favorites

A major metropolis with a small-town vibe, Baltimore is walkable, bikeable, accessible, and affordable. It’s a place where you can be yourself—or reinvent yourself completely.

Students sitting on a circular concrete bench surrounded by historic red brick buildings
Historic Fell’s Point
Offers shopping, dining, live music and impromptu dancing, antiques, and a weekly farmer’s market along cobbled streets in Baltimore’s oldest port neighborhood.
An artist working on an abstract painting with bright colors
Artscape
The largest free arts festival in the United States celebrates the visual arts, performing arts, literary art, and culinary arts every year in Baltimore.
An aerial shot of Baltimore's Inner Harbor at sunset
Inner Harbor
Where you’ll find the National Aquarium, Federal Hill Park, museums, concerts, dining, and shopping—and incredible panoramic views of the city.
Silhouettes of students pointing at fish at the National Aquarium
The National Aquarium
Considered one of the world’s best aquariums, the National Aquarium in Baltimore is home to 20,000 animals and offers half price admission every Friday night!
The Baltimore Orioles on the field during a night game at Camden Yards
Baseball and Football
Catch an Orioles game at Camden Yards or a Ravens game at M&T Bank Stadium.
Bicyclists ride down a street in Hampden in front of The Food Market
Hampden
A neighborhood just 1.5 miles from campus featuring dozens of boutiques, restaurants, antique stores, outdoor festivals, and The Charmery, an award-winning ice cream shop.

As if there weren’t enough to do in the city itself—and trust us, there is...

  • You’re less than 30 minutes from breathtaking state and national parks.
  • You can hop on a regional train from Baltimore’s Penn Station and in 45 minutes you’ll be in Washington, D.C. Walk the National Mall and take in the monuments, visit a Smithsonian Museum, or be inspired by the National Gallery of Art. 
  • You can head north to Philadelphia to visit the Liberty Bell and enjoy a Philly cheesesteak. 
  • New York City is an easy bus or train or drive from campus—easy enough to plan a day trip or a weekend away. 
  • If it’s salt water you’re seeking, Baltimore is close to some of the country’s most beautiful beaches, on the Eastern Shore and in Delaware.

A map of the cities along the east coast around Baltimore
Simply put, Baltimore is in the middle of everything, provides access to most anything, and offers something for everyone.