Council Bluffs

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."

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 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.

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.

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.



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.