western historic trails center

Our visit here was on the last day of a fabulous family trip west to several national parks. We stopped at the Western Historic Trails Center on the last morning before a very long drive home. We are all interested in the years of western expansion.First and foremost, the staff at the museum were very nice and helpful. We later appreciated them very much.With that said, the museum itself was a little disappointing. It was nothing out of the ordinary and we left feeling it focused a little more on more recent years and how interstates replaced the western trails. We watched the 14 minute video and thought it was a complete waste of time. It was a long series of quick glimpses of pictures of the western expansion and videos from what looked like the '60's of a family traveling out west. There were many shots of little girls jumping on hotel room beds and fighting in the car, etc... I imagine it was intended to be thought provoking and artistic. However, we considered it not at all informative or what we stopped there for.To make matters much worse, after spending two weeks parked in very secluded locations back long deserted roads, at 9:30am that Saturday morning we returned to our van after an hour in the Visitor's Center/Western Historic Trails Center to find our van window smashed out and numerous bags had been stolen. Well over $1500 of equipment and personal items were gone. We were parked several feet from a sign that read, "This property under video surveillance." But of course, as I expected, it wasn't. The camera had quit working and they hadn't yet fixed it.We knew we were taking a risk with spotting scopes, binoculars, cameras with special lenses, etc... in our van in those remote places. We carried everything in and out every night at hotels. We just didn't expect to loose so much at the Council Bluffs visitor center and a national park center at 9:30 in the morning on a Saturday! Such a huge disappointment.

This is probably a nice little museum, however, the folks at the welcome desk didn't act like they liked their job very much and really didn't want to be there….at least that was our opinion. We had to really pry to get any info out of them as to where to start (and it isn't that big) but she finally told us the movie would be a good beginning. I think we just hit a day when the volunteers (both were reading books when we arrived) would have rather been somewhere else and that reflected on how we perceived the place. The displays were interesting and an hour is probably enough to see everything.

This was one of the better places like this we stopped at on a recent tour of the Oregon Trail. The volunteers and staff were all knowledgeable and helpful. The exhibits are really interesting, interactive and fun to go around. It helps a lot to understand what the trail was really like and gave a good context as we traveled by at 70 mph what took our ancestors days to cross.

Well put together. Nicely done displays. Lots of history in a small place. Will only take you an hour to get through the whole place but if you want to know about the westward migration this is a pretty good place to visit

Tours are led by volunteer guides with a vested interest. There is a variety of hands on artifacts and learning for all ages. We are not of the Morman faith, but still found it very interesting. Well worth the time to visit.

excellent displays, lots of information, excellent history, great informed guides and much to learn! a must see for the whole famliy!

We have been very interested in learning about the various trails through out the west and have seen many monuments and displays over the years. This by far is the worst. It's not worth the price of admission (and its free). We stopped on a weekday afternoon in the summer and were the only ones there - we now know why. While some of the displays are just OK, the 12 minute video is just awful. You think you are watching a high school freshman project where the student maybe got a C-. It has to be about 15 years old and I just don't get the point of showing a family in a mini camper crossing the great west. Very disappointing. If you want to learn about the various wagon trails go somewhere else.

Stopping by was worthwhile since we were already in Council Bluffs on an extended road trip. The place is not very big. The exhibits describe trails west starting with Lewis and Clark. There was also a bunch of metal sculptures which left me cold. I guess it is technically art. The actual historical content was good. There was a large collection of vintage post cards which we found interesting. They also had a movie which was fun to watch. One item which I found different and rather cool was a granite sculpture outside which depicted the topography of the land starting in St. Louis and going straight west to the Pacific Ocean.

This museum gives the history of many trails leading west, such as the Lewis and Clark trail and the Oregon trail. Some nice exhibits on why they left their homes, what they went through while traveling, and how they settled into their new territory. Nice place to learn a little U.S. History.

Given that admission is free, this small museum is probably worth a visit if you have an interest in the subject matter. The Western Historic Trails Center is about the nation’s westward expansion and more specifically about the California, Oregon, and Mormon trails, which passed near this spot. If you’re planning to go to Omaha from Kansas City or any other route via I-29, the center really isn’t out of your way as it is located just south of exit 1B on the Council Bluffs side of the Missouri River adjacent to Omaha. Inside the center, you’ll find a theater with a short film and the rest of the museum is basically one big room. There are panels to read about life on the trail and the various issues which faced pioneers. There are photos, illustrations, and in some cases, video footage, to go with the exhibit text and above the text are sheet metal sculptures which generally illustrate the trek westward. Our most recent visit was in early March 2012 and we noticed that there was no artwork on the museum's back wall above the exhibits. The woman at the desk said all the artwork had been taken away in precaution of possible flooding the previous summer and the museum was just in the process of getting them back from storage. The museum backs up to the Missouri River levy and apparently came within inches of overflowing. That great gift shop referenced by other reviewers? The woman at the desk said it was recently closed due to budget cuts, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me since one would assume it was a revenue-producing function. She also said the museum is in the process of seeking funds for new exhibits. I did not realize before this visit that the center is "stampable" for national parks passports, so if you have a passport, be sure to bring it! If you do visit the museum, be sure to check out the small monument on the south side of the parking lot which features mosaic art themed around the Lewis & Clark Expedition. We’ve never taken the time to walk the trails here, but I would be interested in doing that someday.

Everyone should go there. Just off 24th south of I-80.

My in laws live in CB and took us to see the museum and we wondered why they'd kept it from us for so long! If you enjoy history you really need to come to this place. Neat!

we just stopped in to check out the Western Trails Center - small museum w/gift shop in a neat building. There's lots of info to be found here about the area and what to do. Restrooms also. Outside there are miles of trails to bike or walk.