Things to Do in Council Bluffs

Thanks to 20 hard-working snow-making machines, skiers and snowboarders of all levels can zip down nine different runs reaching up to 2,000 feet, and also enjoy night skiing at this western-Iowa resort. Although gravity will pull patrons inexorably toward the bottom of the slopes, two chairlifts return as many as 3,600 snow surfers to the top each hour, where they can take in views of the ski area's 50 acres, test their mettle on trails such as the challenging Double Trouble Chute, or make a snow-sculpted diorama of the entire cast of Happy Days. Afterward, skiers can warm their toes in the newly renovated two-story lodge and replenish their bodies with a drink from the Mountain Cafe & Bar. Guests can also rent skis and snowboards, take lessons, or conquer the slopes on an office chair.

Within one of the decorated party buses in Jone-Z Party Bus’s arsenal, up to 30 passengers clink glasses and celebrate weddings, bachelor parties, or Tuesdays on open, hourglass-style seating. A 2,400-watt sound system and custom lighting augment parties, which can start and end at agreed-upon locations such as homes or hotels so guests don’t have to worry about driving.

The shifting seasons bring beauty and bounty to Ditmars Orchard and Vineyard, from the baby buds and bursting petals of spring to the branches heavy with peaches, apricots, cherries, and apples during summer and autumn. In 1994, the Ditmars family laid 300 trees into the ground as a family project, but slowly expanded their hobby into a full-time orchard, now cultivating almost 4,000 trees.

In the summer, fat juicy strawberries nestle in rows ready to be picked, and in fall, fields overflow with acres of bulbous orange pumpkins ready to become jack-o’-lanterns or a horseman’s fancy new hat. Amid fiery foliage and crisp autumn air, families adventure through the onsite corn maze and attend fun fall festivals that feature face painting and hayrides. Kids can clamber over tractor tires and whoosh down slides in the orchard’s large playground. Guests reenergize at the country kitchen, where lunch selections include apple cider, frozen fruit pies, and fresh-made chicken-salad sandwiches, as well as native Iowa wines available by the bottle or glass.

Across three studios equipped with wooden dance-floors, Mary Lorraine's Dance Center's experienced instructors teach children and adults the intricate steps of a variety of dance styles. Classes include ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop, and the center also offers pom, stretch, and strengthen. And to accommodate both recreational and competitive students, the center offers two levels of courses: those that emphasize a fun environment and encourage dance-related knock knock jokes and those that are intensive and focus on career training and competitive elements.

At Busy Scrappin’, more than a thousand papers, albums, decorations, and kits surround a comfy workroom filled with hobbyists hard at work. The one-stop scrapbooking emporium is dedicated to fostering a community of likeminded craftsfolk by helping visitors learn new ways to memorialize family outings, little-league triumphs, and scrapbooking-competition victories. Guests drop in to socialize during Friday-night cropping sessions or learn new techniques at weekly, fun-filled workshops. And during regular hours, friendly staffers shepherd patrons through the selection of holiday-themed embellishments, card-making supplies, and paper crafts—eagerly giving suggestions for any upcoming project.

As a boy, Jeff Bledsoe anxiously awaited autumn, when the pumpkins he planted each year warmed to an orange hue along with the falling leaves. Eventually Jeff also bloomed, married wife Maria, and spawned five pumpkin-planters of his own. But he never lost his childhood fascination for all things autumn, namely the events that come alive every year on October 31. At Skinny Bones Cornmaze & Pumpkin Patch, he, Maria, and their brood have converted Jeff’s interest into their lifeblood. Jeff personally maps out and plants the 10-acre corn maze with 10-foot stalks each year, according to an Omaha.com feature, but he leaves Saturday-night spooking up to the staff of scarers that haunts the field after hours. After meandering through the maze, guests can pick their own pumpkins, enjoy hayrack rides, or make lifelong friends with goats that rarely talk back at the petting zoo. That’s in addition to the haunted-barn maze, Mad Cow ride, bounce house, and Nerf-gun war zone that also offer entertainment on crisp fall afternoons.