Moved to SW Iowa (Council Bluffs, Atlantic: house, buy, YMCA)

[julpepper]

My family and I have recently relocated from Eastern Iowa (over by IA City) to SWestern Iowa, specifically, Atlantic, Iowa because of a job. We are bored to tears....anyone have ideas of what to do over here with two little kids?
We've headed to DM on several occasions, took in the Childrens Playhouse (that was terrific) and the Botanical Center. And we have gone towards Omaha, but got lost in a really bad part of town.....
But the big thing is, how do you go about meeting people? People here are nice but stand-offish and being used to the energy and vitality of Ia City has been a bit of a shock.

Any ideas?

Juli

[momof3girls]

I understand how you feel. I live about 30 minutes from atlantic. I'm a stay at home mom of 3 girls and dont really get out much. So I really can't help you but to say that i'm in the same kind of situation.
Lisa

[jack7y]

You can go with your kids to the YMCA in Atlantic to go swimming. You can take the kids up to Elk Horn to climb up inside the windmill and buy some Danish pastries for them. The weather will be in the 50's and 60's soon and you can take your kids bike riding on the t-bone trail that runs from nearly Atlantic to Audubon. You could take them to Sunny Side Park, or one of the other parks in Atlantic. Council Bluffs is easier to navigate than Omaha and you could let the kids play in the arcade at the Mall of the Bluffs arcade and get them ice cream afterwards. Council Bluffs also has a railroad museum and a historic trails center. If you like plays then Atlantic High School puts on student plays. You could also go to the ice cream shop and/or library in Atlantic. The Atlantic Public Library has a childrens' section. You could go to the rock cuts by Lewis. This 6 minute drive is worth it. You take a leisurly walk through a woods until you come to the Nishnabotna River where the rock cuts are. The rock cuts are a rocky stretch of river where you can get some fresh air while viewing nature. If you want to get out of the house and go for a nice drive you can go to Lake Anita and when you are driving through the park around the lake you and your kids will likely see some deer. I would also advise you to try getting to know another family with kids so that your kids could invite them over to play or vise versa.

[jack7y]

You can look things to do here in Atlantic too. http://www.atlanticiowa.com/common/calendar.html (broken link)

[Stevie]

And don't forget the Loess Hills.

[ehenningsen]

Check out www.livelyomaha.com
www.accessomaha.com

Some good information on what to do..

[CertifiaBully]

Originally Posted by jack7y

You can go with your kids to the YMCA in Atlantic to go swimming. You can take the kids up to Elk Horn to climb up inside the windmill and buy some Danish pastries for them. The weather will be in the 50's and 60's soon and you can take your kids bike riding on the t-bone trail that runs from nearly Atlantic to Audubon. You could take them to Sunny Side Park, or one of the other parks in Atlantic. Council Bluffs is easier to navigate than Omaha and you could let the kids play in the arcade at the Mall of the Bluffs arcade and get them ice cream afterwards. Council Bluffs also has a railroad museum and a historic trails center. If you like plays then Atlantic High School puts on student plays. You could also go to the ice cream shop and/or library in Atlantic. The Atlantic Public Library has a childrens' section. You could go to the rock cuts by Lewis. This 6 minute drive is worth it. You take a leisurly walk through a woods until you come to the Nishnabotna River where the rock cuts are. The rock cuts are a rocky stretch of river where you can get some fresh air while viewing nature. If you want to get out of the house and go for a nice drive you can go to Lake Anita and when you are driving through the park around the lake you and your kids will likely see some deer. I would also advise you to try getting to know another family with kids so that your kids could invite them over to play or vise versa.

LOL that is the town I lived in when in Iowa...headed south and didn't look back! If you enjoy the town, more power to ya...hope it works well for you. It just basically sucked the will to live from my body!!

[totallylost]

Omaha has one of the greatest Zoo's in the country. The College World Series will be there soon, if not right now. The Old Market is really great. Make it there and you won't be sorry. The Zoo is right off of the interstate just barely into Omaha I 80.

[southwestiowa4020]

well,totally lost, you have about become exactly that. i was raised in missouri and moved to a farm near corning,iowa in 1994. i have made several friends but am still the odd man out around here. you have to understand folks around here are stuck in their ways and from my experience, are seemingly against change of any kind disrupting their little worlds.i could go on forever about the ignorance i see around here with local leaders etc,but won't waste your time here.as far as things to do around here. theyare mainly geared to outdoors things. a few things that come to mind,are the ,adams county speedway,here in corning.they put on nascar races every saturday night in the summer months. Lake icaria,north of corning has a beach,marina,campgrounds,cabins etc. Lake binder,east of corning is a smaller lake with camping. Viking lake,west of the 34/71 intersection,near stanton. several lakes near creston, bigger than icaria,binder,or viking. that's about the extent of summer family fun that i am aware of. i would suggest, if you are more geared,and used to living near a metropolitan area like iowa city, moving closer to des moines. not far of a drive from atlantic on i-80. there just isn't a heck of alot going for these little communities. i go to missouri to get away from here myself. this is a nice place to live if you were born and raised here and don't know anything else,but for a young outgoing family, i am afraid there's not much going on here. the people will loosen up after they get to know you better, but we'll always be outsiders. it's that way in the small towns i grew up in northwest missouri only, the people in iowa are much more friendly. hope i haven't discouraged you.it's just the facts.

[angeredsmile]

It's funny to see this post, I was born in Atlantic, Iowa. My wife is a traveling nurse, but we decided to settle down in Atlantic because that was always my dream to go back to my roots. Well that didn't last to long. The community is great the people are friendly but there was just something missing. We moved back from Jan. '07 and left to North Carolina in Apr. '07 as we felt lonely and out of place in my hometown. It's one of those towns that everyone stares when you walk into a restaurant so they can try and figure out who you are.

For things to do: Just before we left I realized that we took for granted the beauty of the downtown so we just walked around and found that it really is nice it's just so slow paced that people tend to just drive on by and go to walmart. Sunnyside park is nice if you like nature. But for the most part it is a town that you need to just find things on your own to entertain yourself. Because there really isn't to much going on most of the year. So will I return, probably when I retire.