UNO, which became LSU New Orleans on July 1, 2026 and kept the Privateers name, sits on Lake Pontchartrain at the end of Elysian Fields Avenue. For errands, Gentilly Shopping Center (3161 Gentilly Blvd) and the Walmart Supercenter (4301 Chef Menteur Hwy) are the nearest big stops.
Lakeview. On Harrison Avenue, Robert Fresh Market (801 Harrison Ave) is a full grocery, and Little Miss Muffin (766 Harrison Ave) is the neighborhood gift shop.
Down Elysian Fields. Lowe's (2501 Elysian Fields Ave) handles apartment hardware, and Baldwin & Co. (1030 Elysian Fields Ave) is a coffee shop and bookstore near the Marigny end.
The official store is the LSU New Orleans Bookstore, on the first floor of the University Center next to the Information Desk. It sells books, school supplies and university apparel. The university's page still shows summer 2025 hours (Monday to Thursday 9am to 4:30pm, Friday 9am to noon, closed weekends), and notes that University Center hours change around holidays, so call (504) 280-6373 before you go. Since the July 2026 move to the LSU System, the store's page lists LSU New Orleans apparel; the teams are still the Privateers.
The Walmart Supercenter (4301 Chef Menteur Hwy) is the one-stop move-in run, open daily 6am to 10pm with groceries, a pharmacy and wireless services. For shelves, lighting, tools and storage, Lowe's (2501 Elysian Fields Ave) is open Monday to Saturday 6am to 10pm and Sunday 8am to 8pm.
For groceries closer to the lake, Robert Fresh Market (801 Harrison Ave) in Lakeview has a PJ's Coffee inside, open daily 7am to 9pm. Gentilly Shopping Center (3161 Gentilly Blvd) has Family Dollar for cheap basics, Sherwin-Williams for paint and a U.S. Post Office for shipping boxes home. Supplies are also at the campus bookstore.
Gentilly. Gentilly is mostly residential, so students shop at its centers: the Walmart Supercenter on Chef Menteur Highway, built on the old Gentilly Woods shopping center site, and Gentilly Shopping Center on Gentilly Boulevard.
Lakefront and Lakeview. Harrison Avenue in Lakeview, west of campus, has Little Miss Muffin (766 Harrison Ave) for clothing, jewelry, cards and New Orleans art, and Robert Fresh Market (801 Harrison Ave) for groceries. The Harrison Avenue Marketplace sets up in the Robert Fresh Market lot on the second Wednesday of most spring and fall months, 5pm to 8:30pm.
Elysian Fields. At the river end of the avenue, Baldwin & Co. (1030 Elysian Fields Ave) sells books with a focus on Black and BIPOC authors, plus coffee, daily 7am to 6pm. It hosts readings and signings.
Lakeside. For a mall, Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie has Apple and Dillard's; see the last section.
For official gifts, the LSU New Orleans Bookstore in the University Center has university apparel.
For something local, Little Miss Muffin (766 Harrison Ave) has sold gifts in Lakeview since 1970, with New Orleans art, stationery and jewelry. A signed book or a gift card from Baldwin & Co. (1030 Elysian Fields Ave) suits a graduate. Fleurty Girl on Magazine Street sells Southern goods that pack easily for parents flying home. For a new laptop or iPad, Apple Lakeside Shopping Center offers education pricing verified online through UNiDAYS.
On campus. The Galley in the University Center is the main dining hall; the university's page shows only summer 2025 hours and points to its dining website for current times.
Quick lunches. The Original Fiorella's Café (5325 Franklin Ave) is a family-run counter with daily specials: red beans and rice on Monday, meatloaf on Tuesday, shrimp Creole on Friday. It doesn't post hours, so call ahead.
Transit. The RTA's 52 Paris–Broadmoor runs between LSU New Orleans on the Lakefront and Xavier University, by way of Paris Avenue and Washington Avenue. The 55 Elysian Fields runs the length of Elysian Fields Avenue between the Main Library downtown and the Gentilly Woods Hub. The campus library's visitor page lists the 51, 52, 55 and 60 bus lines, and in 2022 the RTA extended the 66 Hayne Loop to stop at the university. Routes have changed since some of these pages were written, so check the RTA before riding.
Parking. Visitor lots are reached by Founders Road from Leon C. Simon Boulevard, or by Alumni Drive from Elysian Fields Avenue, near the University Center.
Lakeside, in Metairie, is the nearest mall. Dillard's (3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd) anchors the mall with clothing, shoes, beauty and home, open Monday to Saturday 11am to 8pm and Sunday noon to 6pm. Apple Lakeside Shopping Center is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 7pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 11am to 6pm.
Downtown, Canal Street & Riverwalk has Nordstrom Rack at the Outlet Collection at Riverwalk (500 Port of New Orleans Pl). On Lower Magazine Street, Fleurty Girl (3137 Magazine St) sells Southern goods. The French Quarter is just past the river end of Elysian Fields, beyond the Marigny.
