Day Trip: Council Bluffs and the Iowa Side

You cross the Missouri River on I-80 and you're in Iowa before you finish your coffee. That's Council Bluffs. It sits right across from downtown Omaha, close enough that a lot of folks forget it's a whole other state, and it's stuffed with family stuff, a good chunk of it free. Interstate access is easy, the bridge connects you on foot, and you can build a full day without spending much. Here's the run.

Start downtown at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum on Pearl Street. It's free, it's in an old Carnegie library building, and it's got 150-plus years of railroad and western history the kids can actually get into. Real artifacts, photos, equipment. Trains are a magnet for little ones, so this one usually lands. Check the days before you go, since it's not open all week.

A few blocks over is the Historic General Dodge House, a 14-room mansion from 1869 that was home to a Union general and railroad man. It's the only National Historic Landmark in Council Bluffs. This one's paid and a little more grown-up, so it's better with older kids who'll sit through a tour. Younger crew, maybe skip it and save the energy.

Now get up high. The Lewis and Clark Monument and Scenic Overlook sits up in the Loess Hills on Monument Road, and the view is the whole reason to go. The Missouri, Council Bluffs, and the Omaha skyline all spread out below you. It's free, there are trails and picnic tables, and it's named for the spot where Lewis and Clark met with the Otoe and Missouria tribes back in 1804. Great place to let the kids run and burn off the museum sitting.

Down by the river, right at the foot of the Missouri, is Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park. There's a water feature that runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in season (as of July 2026), a big open lawn, and Belles' Play Garden with a 15-foot pelican you climb through. This park sits at the Iowa end of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, so you can literally walk from Omaha to Iowa across the Missouri and back. The kids love standing on the state line painted mid-span. Half in Nebraska, half in Iowa.

For a bigger outdoor day, Lake Manawa State Park is just south of town off South Shore Drive. Over 1,500 acres around the lake, with a beach, fishing, boat ramps, trails, and one of the biggest playgrounds around, the Dream Playground. Bring the swimsuits in summer. It's an easy place to lose an afternoon.

And then there's the shopping-mall-that-thinks-it's-a-museum corner. Bass Pro Shops on Bass Pro Drive has giant aquariums, waterfalls, and wildlife displays, and you don't have to buy a thing to wander it. Right next door is the Mid-America Center, the arena that hosts concerts, shows, and hockey if you want to catch an event and make an evening of it.

One note on the geography. Some of the region's headliners are actually on the Omaha side, not in Council Bluffs. If you're planning around gardens, the dinosaur exhibit at Lauritzen Gardens is in Omaha, so file that under a Nebraska day. And when you cross the bridge back into Omaha, the Old Market is a short hop for dinner. For more open-air options on the Nebraska side, our roundup of the best family parks in Omaha pairs well with a bridge walk. And if you cross back hungry, one of the best family burger spots in town is minutes off the interstate.

Here's the tip. Do the free stuff first, the railroad museum, the overlook, the bridge, the park, and you'll have a full family day for basically the price of gas. Save Bass Pro for last, since it's the easiest place to end on a high note without anybody melting down.

Then hop on I-80 and go see the Iowa side.

Prices and hours change, so always confirm the latest on each place's official website before you go — the figures in this guide are current as of July 2026.