Ruston is a small town, but is home to LaTech so it is also your typical college town. What little shopping there is tends to be reasonable, and there are plenty of bars and casual dining. The best steakhouse is Rabb's come at the right time and they may even have a band playing! Lincoln Park is nice too with the lake and the biking, ...

The best thing about Ruston in that it is right next to Grambling, home of Grambling State University. Monroe is also a few miles away if you like shopping there is a mall there. Since there are no hotels in Grambling as of yet Ruston is the best place to stay for convience.