USC Campus Walk

Photo: EEJCC, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

The University of Southern California opened in 1880 with 53 students in a single wooden building in what was then a dusty farm town. Today it is one of the largest private universities in the country, and its University Park campus is a compact grid of red-brick and pale-stone halls just south of downtown Los Angeles.

This loop of 12 stops covers about 3.5 kilometers and takes around 100 minutes at an easy pace. You start at Tommy Trojan, the campus's most famous statue, head north past Bovard Auditorium to the film school and USC Village, swing back through the libraries and Alumni Park, then cross Exposition Boulevard to the Coliseum and the Rose Garden before returning to where you began.

The whole walk is on foot along wide, car-free walkways. The Metro E Line stops at Expo Park/USC, a short walk from the start. The campus is generally open to visitors, but access rules can change during events, so check USC's campus access page before you go.

12 stops on this tour:

Tommy Trojan - The Warrior at the Heart of Campus

Bovard Auditorium - Where Film School Began

School of Cinematic Arts - The House That Lucas Helped Build

USC Village - Hecuba Meets Tommy

Leavey Library - Built for the Digital Age

Widney Alumni House - Where USC Began in 1880

Doheny Library - A Grieving Family's Gift

Alumni Park - The Campus Living Room

Hahn Plaza - Rally Central

Mudd Hall of Philosophy - A Monastery for Thinkers

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - Three Olympics, One Stadium

Exposition Park Rose Garden - From Racetrack to Roses

Stops on this tour

1. Tommy Trojan - The Warrior at the Heart of Campus
2. Bovard Auditorium - Where Film School Began
3. School of Cinematic Arts - The House That Lucas Helped Build
4. USC Village - Hecuba Meets Tommy
5. Leavey Library - Built for the Digital Age
6. Widney Alumni House - Where USC Began in 1880
7. Doheny Library - A Grieving Family's Gift
8. Alumni Park - The Campus Living Room
9. Hahn Plaza - Rally Central
10. Mudd Hall of Philosophy - A Monastery for Thinkers
11. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - Three Olympics, One Stadium
12. Exposition Park Rose Garden - From Racetrack to Roses

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