While UMBC is known
for its focus on academic achievement and research, there
are plenty of opportunities on- and off-campus to unwind
and relax. Listed below are a few favorites identified by
current Biology graduate students (which are not necessarily
endorsed by the department.)
Baltimore is known for its diverse neighborhoods and there
are many restaurants close-by offering all types of cuisine:
Baltimore City:
Pazo’s (a Tapas restaurant; upscale but nice)
Salty Dog, in Federal Hill
Red Maple Restaurant, on N. Charles St. (upscale, but nice)
The Helmand, on N. Charles St. (reliably excellent Afgani)
Nam Kang, on Maryland Ave. (great Korean, open until 4 am)
Blue Agave, in Federal Hill (fantastic Mexican)
Catonsville:
Ship’s Café, minutes from UMBC on Frederick
Rd. (has a nice menu with very reasonable prices; sell Maryland
Steamed Crabs)
Indian Delight, also minutes from UMBC on Frederick Rd. (great
Indian, BYOB)
Dimitri’s Grill, on Frederick Rd. (Oella, actually;
international cuisine)
Double T Diner, on Rt. 40 and Rolling Rd (average food, open
all night)
Ellicott City:
The Trolley Stop, on Oella Ave.
Ellicott Mills
Brewing Company, on Main St. in Old Ellicott
City (good beer and food)
Bean Hollow, on Main St. in old Ellicott City (best local
coffeehouse/best local dessert spot)
Columbia:
Mango Grove in Columbia (wonderful vegetarian Indian)
Hunan Manor at Columbia is the best Chinese Restaurant in
Maryland
9:30 Club
The Owl Bar
Recher Theater
Sonar
Historic Ellicott City – Minutes
away from campus in the Patapsco River Valley features
restaurants, pubs, and coffeehouses. Ellicott Brewing Mills,
a Bavarian styled brewpub, and the Judge’s Bench
are among graduate student favorites.
Federal Hill – Bars and restaurants
are plentiful in this small Baltimore neighborhood overlooking
the Inner Harbor.
Canton – Lots of
bars and restaurants in this small Baltimore neighborhood,
along O’Donnell and Boston Streets.
Fells Point – Located east of downtown
Baltimore, this is the major bar/club district of the city.
Inner Harbor – PowerPlant
Live and the ESPN Zone are popular spots with lots of bars
and restaurants.
Mt. Vernon – Dionysus
is the “perfect date bar” and there are numerous
restaurants on Charles Street around the Washington Monument.
Brewer's Art – The basement is a
great place to hang out and it’s the best microbrewery
in Baltimore.
Mick O’Shea’s – This
is one of Baltimore’s favorite Irish pubs.
American Visionary Art Museum
Baltimore Museum of Art
Fort McHenry
Flag House and Civil War Museum
Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
National Aquarium in Baltimore
The National Zoo in Washington, DC
The National Mall in Washington, DC – with access to
many free museums
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC
National Arboretum in Washington, DC
Patapsco
State Park (minutes from UMBC, biking & hiking)
Peabody (offers many free concerts)
Public Works Museum
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American Art
New River (in nearby West Virginia, canoeing & kayaking)
Seven Springs (skiing)
Numerous Multi-plex Movie Theaters at various locations
Miniature Golf (Elkridge, Reisterstown and Perry Hall)
State Parks
- Patapsco
(multiple locations)
- Gunpowder
- Deep
Creek
- Great
Falls at Potomac
Loch Raven Park (fishing, flat-water activities, trails,
mountain biking)
Greater
Baltimore Canoe Club
Baltimore Road Runners Club
Earth Treks Climbing
Center (indoor rock climbing at multiple
locations)
The Charles Theatre
Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse
Walters Museum
Baltimore
City Farmers' Market - Located at Holliday and
Saratoga streets underneath the Jones Falls Expressway
32nd Street Market
The Gallery (across from Harbor Place)
Arundel Mills Mall
Security Square Mall
Columbia Mall
Marley Station Mall
Owings Mill Mall
Towson Town Centre
UMBC teams play a full schedule of 19 intercollegiate sports
including basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse and field
hockey. The athletics and physical education department also
sponsors a variety of intramural offerings throughout the
year. Other facilities available to graduate students are
an indoor track, fitness trail, golf driving range, tennis
courts, Olympic-size outdoor and indoor swimming pools, sauna,
locker rooms, exercise areas, several weight machines and
a full 15-piece Nautilus Fitness Center complete with electronic
exercise bicycles and computer health analysis. Aerobics,
lap swimming, pick-up basketball and use of the exercise
equipment are available on a daily basis. The Indoor/Outdoor
Recreation Center provides the usual collegiate activities
of billiards, board games, table tennis and soccer, darts
and video games. Tourneys for men and women are held each
year in these and other indoor games and sports. The Outdoor
Club offers rental of canoes, sailboats, tents and other
recreational gear, as well as a resource library describing
the excellent local and regional outing areas.
Research at UMBC takes place not only in the laboratory but
also in the concert hall, theatre, gallery and dance studio,
where outstanding artists and faculty in the visual and
performing arts reinterpret the classics and explore new
modes of expression before audiences composed of colleagues,
students and the general public.
The visual arts are strongly represented by the imaginative
and critically acclaimed exhibitions of the Albin O. Kuhn
Library and Gallery, which often draw on its vast photography
collection, and in the Fine Arts Gallery, one of the finest
spaces in the region dedicated to contemporary art in all
its forms.
The University sponsors a full season of performances by
the UMBC Symphony Orchestra and the renowned Maryland Camerata,
UMBC's resident chamber choir.
UMBC is also home for a variety of professional companies
and ensembles that tour nationally, such as the Phoenix Dance
Company, and Doug Hamby Dance. |
