union pacific railroad museum

Me and a good friend met at the museum for a homeschool field trip. She has 5 children and I have 6. From the minute we walked in until the minute we left, the entire staff was very rude about our children. The museum has many interactive things for the children but the children were scared to even touch them in fear of being yelled at by the staff. Our children are very well behaved and are well versed in the art of museums. When the teens would wander to read signs, we were asked to bring them back and have adult supervision on them. We were actually told to stay in a tight group because they feared us breaking things. On the way out, a small child left a toy so we sent a teen to find it. As she was leaving the floor, a very rude staff member said, Your group already left, I suggest you do the same. We won't be back and I plan to tell every homeschool family I know not to go there. The children were learning so much and it's sad that it was ruined by stereotypes.

It is so well interpreted that everyone in our group found it interesting and educational. Few museums are so modern, so friendly to all ages, and interests. I would recommend this FREE museum to any group.

Journey through at your own pace. Some interactive displays as well as historic information. Educational.

I am somewhat of a railroad buff so this was a great place to see. It has been a while and I forgot what we paid to get in. If your in Council Bluffs or Omaha area looking for something to do this could be it.

My husband and I were very surprised at the UP RR Museum. It was very well laid out and informative. Also, very clean Recommend as a family visit.

The museum is located in the former Public Library. The exhibits are very interesting and includetechnical information on how the railroad was built and what the functions of rails, switches and various other hardware are. There are pictures of dignitaries and Hollywood celebrities of the past traveling on Union Pacific Railroad. There are also several computerized exhibits geared towards which interact with children. There is no fee but donations are welcomed.

This was a wonderful treasure. This indoor museum did not have rail cars, but instead it had artifacts, information, and cute interactive areas. The staff were extremely knowledgeable and friendly

It is a fun place to visit with children and your family. The old trains are fun and interesting. It is by railroad tracks.

This is a very nice small museum that depicts how the railroad helped twin the west and settle this great country of ours

My family of seven was looking for something to do while on vacation in Omaha and found this. We were not disappointed and the price can't be beat. The museum has something for everyone. The train display the younger kids enjoyed. Kids struggled getting kinect to work. Educational and fun.

This place was free, well staffed with volunteers, clean, with a great bunch of history and enough to keep me and my 3 year old interested but not overwhelmed.

First, I'll mention that I have a keen interest in railroad, mining, lumbering and Western U.S. history, which definitely affected my expectations of this museum. I went to this museum, located at the eastern terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad, expecting a unique and detailed presentation of the Union Pacific's history. I was severely disappointed. With the colorful and lengthy history of this railroad, I thought there would be many artifacts, trinkets, and other interesting displays. Instead, I found many displays geared towards children and others with no knowledge of railroading (i.e. a rotating picture wheel that had, "what kind of railroad car is this, and what does it carry?"). The penultimate Union Pacific accomplishment, building over half of the Transcontinental Railroad, only received scant mention with a boring sliding video display and two scenery mock-ups. There also was no mention of the huge engines (often incorporating cutting-edge technology) that were developed by the UP. I can go on and on, but if you understand the things I am mentioning, you probably will also be disappointed. However, there was some interesting things, such as furniture from President Lincoln's private railroad car and a coal chunk dug out of a dinosaur footprint fossil. Admission is free, so other than driving130 miles out of my way to visit this place, I can't complain too much. I initially gave it a two-star (poor) rating, but I have to consider what the average person is looking for. I also am considering the many volunteers who spent their time assembling this museum, so I give it a three-star "average." rating.

Caring staff and volunteers. Some even play the part in a step back in time. Be sure to ask them what it is like to live day-to-day and how they make a living. Updated exhibits. Important history to the local area. Railroad buffs, locals, and visitors will appreciate this effort in the old Carnegie library. Try driving a train in the simulator. Younger folks (<10 y/o) probably won't appreciate the museum as much.

Somehow from our reading, we thought there was going to be actual trains in a train yard at this location, but there are none. There are some just up the street, though, but separate hours of opening and not run by this same group. Thus museum is interesting and there are many hands on things for kids. A few things weren't working the day of our visit. There are volunteers on every floor and they are quite helpful and enthusiastic about the museum and contents. Be sure to use restroom on the bottom floor where you enter as there are no other restrooms on any other floor. A bit odd, but we had a volunteer tell us this at least upon entry.

This is housed in a former Carnegie library, lots of great railroad memorabilia. Enjoy the city park next door. Look for the unique to Council Bluffs black squirrels.