Overview

4.0

108 reviews

Excellent48%
Very good33%
Average15%
Poor3%
Terrible1%

Travelers talk about

“solitary confinement cell” (5 reviews)

“three story” (4 reviews)

“interesting piece of history” (3 reviews)

Closed Now

Hours

Hours Today: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

LOCATION

226 Pearl St, Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0825

CONTACT

Website

+1 712-323-2509

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Write a ReviewReviews (108)

1 - 10 of 108 reviews

deniceharris2

Council Bluffs, Iowa

8

Reviewed 3 days ago

History museum

The tour guide is very helpful and knowledgeable. They have a lot of interesting stories to tell you about the inmates and how they would try to injure themselves in order to get out of the jail just to go to the hospital.

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

kimk3456

Omaha, Nebraska

395

Reviewed May 4, 2018

adventure with my daughter

we were looking for a short day trip around Omaha and we ran across this historic jail it was very usual and creepy,looks like something out of a horror movie,it didnt take long to view and the tour guide was very informative,the jail was round...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

lveach19

New Castle, Indiana

7518

Reviewed April 25, 2018 via mobile

It was closed!😩

I have seen another jail like this in Indiana. Fascinating! So I wanted to see this one on my loop through Iowa. It was supposed to be open.(Right day-Right time)but it was closed. It was on my “must see” list too.

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David D

Racine, Wisconsin

248

Reviewed April 13, 2018

Leave time to spend an hour at the Union Pacific Museum next door.

Pottawattamie County Squirrel Cage Jail and Museum, and the UP Museum made our visit to Council Bluffs much more fun than if we just stayed in the Mid-America convention center all day. What an amazing gem of American history. Now I have to visit the...More

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Bilsano

4623

Reviewed March 25, 2018 via mobile

Fascinating History

I was amazed to see such innovative engineering for a jail built in the 1800s. The inmates were jailed here under deplorable conditions, and surprise, they didn’t close it until the 1970s. What an interesting artifact of history. Unbelievable!

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homewardbound14

Broken Arrow

6715

Reviewed March 24, 2018

Interesting Jail

I had never heard of a squirrel cage jail until today. What is housed inside of this building is interesting, to say the least. We were on a guided tour, but our guide didn't seem to know many of the answers to our questions. Since...More

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EnjoyedVisit

Lee's Summit, Missouri

3715

Reviewed December 23, 2017

Unique, 3 story rotating jail from 1885

This one of a kind rotating jail, built in 1885, is an engineering feat. The volunteers are so knowledgeable and the tour was interesting, entertaining, and informative. I thought we would "run through" but we spent 90 minutes there reading the newspaper articles about inmates...More

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LaNette H

Kansas City, Missouri

15233

Reviewed December 10, 2017 via mobile

Must visit

Excellent tour guide, Doug, a volunteer. Unique, three story, rotating jail built in 1885 and closed in 1969. Impressive how they figured out to build that in the 1800s. Take the tour, read the articles on display, and learn something!

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Pierre S

Topeka, Kansas

4914

Reviewed September 17, 2017

CRIMINALS DARED, SQUIRRELS DIDN'T!

This 1885 3-story rotating jail remains today as a one-of-a-kind design, much like a lazy susan. The idea was to be able to see whose in the cells without having to walk the beat, reducing manpower costs. The Solitary Confinement cell is a mere 6...More

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SnowAvoiderSalem_VA

Salem, VA

17383

Reviewed September 8, 2017 via mobile

Unique, oppressive jail

Engineer's will love this lockup. Cylindrical rotating design of cells. 100 years of history. Worth an hour of your time after lunch at Duncan cafe.

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Ask a question

Questions & Answers

troundtree

Do the cells of the jail still have the ability to rotate?

November 7, 2016|

AnswerShow all 3 answers

No, not any more

Pat O

what are the days and hours of operation?

August 17, 2016|

AnswerShow all 2 answers

From their website Squirrel Cage" Rotary Cell Jail Museum 226 Pearl Street Council Bluffs, Iowa Hours: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 11-4 No appointment necessary. For groups larger than 15 phone/e-mail in... More