Arcadia, Louisiana? Anyone know the area?

[millipede]

Looking at the map, and even eBird hotspot map, there's nothing there...

I have a friend that is planning a trip down there in a couple weeks. He's blind... they have 4 kids and two of them are a bit of a challenge at times. His wife is often worn out so this trip worries him a little, I think.
I started joking with him, at first, that if it wasn't for my wife getting visitation of a couple of my kids, I'd pack the kids and head down with them and we could give them a hand. He kind of liked that idea. He'll have to talk to his wife first...
After he told me it was only for a few days I got to thinking...  In all honesty, it's the birds turning the gears in my skull... ha. 
I could ask my ex to switch the day to later in the week.......  that shouldn't be an issue.
Provided my van is working well, I think the trip is doable...

That ramble aside...

Anyone familiar with the area? It's between Shreveport and Monroe...  And there's pretty much nothing there.

I'm looking for both species suggestions as well as hotspot(or not hotspot) locations. Nothing toooooo far from Arcadia. I'll have to talk to my friend about their other options for lodging. There's a hotel there but he says he doesn't think there's a pool and they MIGHT want to have something like that so they might stay a little further away from Arcadia.
Which reminds me... I'll also be looking at lodging suggestions. There are some campgrounds on lakes but I'm not sure they'll want to actually camp.
(just talked to him, they might look at a hotel in Ruston

anyway... anyone know the area and have suggestions on lodging, hotspots, or species?
Depending on where they/we stay, I wouldn't want to bird toooo far from there. I'd be going to be a help to their family and wouldn't want to drive hours away to bird. But I'd have to do SOME birding...  ? 
I'm going to TRY and look at the species in that area and see what I might need to look for that might not be too difficult. I'm thinking of anghingas already... 

[millipede]

quick poke around eBird bar charts looking at June in that general area and the list of birds I might need isn't very long...
purple gallinule
anghina
white ibis
wood stork

Looks like Monroe would be the best place to look for all of those... Not many recent reports in that area... white ibis and anhinga look like the best possibilities.
IF I go, I need to leave the state with at least one life bird...  it's a must.  ?

[millipede]

I guess nobody here knows the area well??? 

[millipede]

I haven't heard back from the guy down there that said he might be able to show me around. I asked on the ARbird list and a guy that's the eBird reviewer for that area sent me an email back.
I finally made a decision and the trip is booked... staying at a hotel in Ruston...  will likely do some birding in the Monroe area. I wish I knew someone that knew the area. Maybe I'll check to see if there's a birding in LA group on facebook.
I need to know how many of these areas can be birded on foot and whether I'd need a boat for any.
I think the ibis and the anhinga should be doable... those will be my target species that I actively look for and if I stumble across a purple gallinule in the process, even better.