Council Bluffs is a city in Southwest Iowa, just across the Missouri River from Omaha. It is known for its casinos and ties to the transcontinental railroad. It is sometimes called "Iowa's Leading Edge."
Understand
Get in
By plane
- Eppley Airfield Airfield (IATA: OMA), 4501 Abbott Dr, Omaha (enter the city via I-480E toward I-29), 41.302°, -95.893667°, +1 402 661-8017. Most likely airport to use, located just across the river in Omaha.
- Council Bluffs Municipal Airport (IATA: CBF), 16801 McCandless Ln #2, 41.26°, -95.758611°, +1 712 322-2284. Private planes.
By car
Visitors from an easterly city, like Des Moines will continue west on I-80, or from the west through Omaha until crossing over the Missouri River. To the north and south are Sioux City and Kansas City, respectively, which connect to Council Bluffs via I-29/I-680 and I-29/US-59.
By bus
Omaha Metro (dead link: February 2023) operates the blue and yellow routes to Council Bluffs. These routes run from 19th street and Douglas in Downtown Omaha to downtown Council Bluffs, Iowa Western Community College, Mall of the Bluffs and Mid America Center. The westbound buses stop on Dodge street before going to the 16th street Mall and 19th street and Douglas in Omaha.
By train
Amtrak serves neighboring Omaha via its California Zephyr route, running between Emeryville (in the San Francisco Bay Area) and Chicago.
Get around
By bus
Omaha Metro has two routes that serve Council Bluffs: blue and yellow. The blue route stops at the Iowa Western Community College, Mall of the Bluffs. The yellow route goes to the Mid America Center.
See
- Historic Squirrel Cage Jail (Pottawattamie County Jail), 226 Pearl St, 41.276389°, -95.844167°, +1 712 323-2509, Tours@TheHistoricalSociety.org. One of the last lazy Susan style-rotary jails in existence. $7, $6 60+, $5 aged 6-12
- Lewis and Clark Monument, 29385 Monument Rd, 41.30343°, -95.85825°, +1 712 328-4650. A nice view of the Missouri River as well as mountain bike trail.
- Kanesville Tabernacle, 222 East Broadway, +1 712-322-0500. Mormon Trail Historic Site has a museum and monuments to the migration that the Mormons took.
- Union Pacific Museum, 200 Pearl St, 41.25821°, -95.85124°, +1 712-329-8307. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. Details the beginnings of the Union Pacific Railroad and the role it played in westward expansion and has artifacts dating back to the 1860s.
- Grenville M. Dodge House, 41.254647°, -95.847092°. House museum. 2020-10-11
- RailsWest Railroad Museum, 41.246944°, -95.852222°. 2020-10-11
Do
Plenty to do for the gambler. Most of the casinos can be seen along I-80. Since the state of Nebraska doesn't allow gambling, Omaha dwellers cross the state border and do their gambling here.
- Ameristar Casino Hotel, 2200 River Rd (I-29 exit 53), 41.243056°, -95.91°, +1 712 328-8888.
- Harrah's Casino and Hotel, 1 Harrahs Blvd (I-29 exit 53A), 41.2513°, -95.9142°, +1 712 329-6000.
- Horseshoe Casino, 2701 23rd Ave (I-80/I-29 exit 1B N), 41.24°, -95.8854°, +1 712 323-2500.
Other
- Taco Ride, 41.22322°, -95.82420°. Billed as the world's largest weekly group bicycle ride. Every Thursday night in the summer, hundreds of cyclists ride the Wabash Trace through Iowa to a restaruant in Mineola, Iowa to consume thousands of tacos and margaritas. The trail begins in the parking lot of Lewis Central High School.
Learn
Buy
Eat
Drink
- Buck Snort, 25 Scott St, +1 712 328-2825. Su–Th 11AM–9PM, F Sa 11AM–10PM. Sports bar. Nine different deep-fried appetizers (the "combo" is sized for one person), plus hamburgers and chicken sandwiches. Kids' menu.
Sleep
Go next
- Loess Hills State Forest, 40 mi north in Pisgah, offers a sort of oasis in the farmlands of Iowa. Camping and fishing are available. This is one the state's most interesting state parks or forests.
- Elk Horn is 50 mi east and the nation's largest rural Danish settlement from the prairie days. The Danish Windmill is a state treasure.