Keeping the little ones entertained all summer long can be a challenging feat, but having the right activities planned can make it much easier. One idea to try out this summer is Diggerland USA. One Sunday a few weeks ago, my husband Zack and I visited the location with my sister Naomi, her husband Matthew, and our nephews, 4-year-old Matanel and 1-year-old Yakov.
Inspired by construction workers, Diggerland is a construction-themed park where kids can practice operating machinery and enjoy exhilarating rides. Along with rides and educational attractions, Diggerland also offers a water park with a wave pool, an arcade full of prizes, a playground containing swings and seesaws, a 32-foot rock-climbing wall, one of the world’s tallest ropes courses, and a 700-foot zipline (at an additional cost). The park in West Berlin, New Jersey is the only one in the United States, but there are four others located in England.
Stepping foot into the park, I felt excited hearing the squeals of joyous guests as the construction-themed attractions began to enter our sight. We were greeted by friendly staff members who handed each of us a map of the park. Despite seeing a line with just a few minutes’ wait, Zack chose a ride called Skid Steers to try first. Since Yakov was too little for this ride, Matthew waited with him on a nearby bench. To operate the JCB Skid Steer Loader 135, you needed to be a minimum of 48 inches tall, so Matanel sat on Naomi’s lap while she controlled the yellow Loader, and I watched as they boarded the vehicle and drove off. Next, it was my turn. I was ushered in by a staff member who explained how to use the controls. The course was not long, but the vehicle moved slowly, so I had a lot of time to enjoy the mock construction site. Through my windows, I smiled and waved at Naomi and Matanel in the Loader in front of me and Zack in the one behind me.
For our next adventure, we rode the Dig-A-Round, which turned out to be Naomi’s favorite ride. In the center was an orange JCB 8065 with a rotating platform, and surrounding it were buckets connected to the vehicle. Matanel and I strapped into one of the buckets, while Naomi and Zack settled into the bucket in front of us. Once all of the riders were seated and buckled in, the excavator raised its buckets into the air and we circled around the center rotating platform, which the ride operator was sitting inside of. Unlike the Skid Steer, I loved being able to sit next to my family and scream together as we soared through the air.
While Zack and I continued on to our next ride, Spin Dizzy, which required a minimum rider height of 42 inches, the Lubins went off to enjoy the Crawl Space, which was the play area. We sat in a wide, yellow and orange bucket of a JCB JS220 with another family, were elevated into the air, and spun around in circles at high speed. I immediately regretted joining Zack on this ride because of how nauseated it made me. Before the ride, the operator offered us to give a “thumbs down” if we wanted him to stop the ride in the middle. Although it was tempting to take him up on the offer, I felt bad ruining the experience for the kids next to us who were having a blast, so instead I shut my eyes and waited for the ride to finish.
Afterwards, we met up again with the others and tried out the Tire Pulley, a challenging contraption with two ropes next to each other, each rope holding a tire and attached to a wooden structure. The purpose of this contraption is to teach us the difference between a single- and multiple-pulley system. None of us were able to lift the tire using the single-pulley system, even Zack. However, Naomi and Matanel effortlessly maneuvered the tire by utilizing the multiple-pulley system. The reason was explained by a poster that advised to think smarter, not work harder.
After the pulley workout, Zack and I went off in search of snacks while Matthew and Matanel explored the Mini Dig: Shapes, an attraction where they sat inside of a JCB 8018 mini-excavator and controlled its hook, using it to drop shapes into their respective holes. Zack and I made our food purchases, Mini Melts for me and an ICEE for Zack, and it was not long before the others joined us with packaged ice cream sandwiches. We relished our treats at a picnic table under a wooden roof for shade. Matanel, who bit into his chocolate wafer ice cream sandwich sideways like a watermelon, made us all laugh.
We then loaded the blue Elevation Station, which carried us 60 feet high. The operator sat on one side of the silver diamond plate deck, I sat next to Matanel in the middle, and Zack sat next to Naomi on the other side. The lift was gradual, and when we finally reached the top, we had a perfect view of the Battle Truck driving around, which we would ride soon, and we got a peak at the water park, which we would visit later. The buckles on the seats were so secure that they required the operator’s key to unlock them when we returned to the ground.
Moving on, we visited the Lumberjack Claw, which is a red rig and claw controlled by a black joystick. Naomi and I stood with Matanel and helped him use the controls to lower and twist the claw, close it on the brick, lift the brick, and then finally release it. This ended up being Matanel’s favorite attraction because he appreciated learning how to control his own construction vehicle.
The Battle Truck was a black and yellow speckled five-ton military transport vehicle that was open in the back and had a matching cloth roof hanging over us for shade. There were plenty of seats, and we rode around the course alongside many other park visitors. Even though a little bit of dirt blew into my eyes as the truck darted around the road, I enjoyed the ride.
Next, Zack and I chose Rugged Riders, which presented us with the ability to drive a red Kubota RTV-900 around a course. Zack drove and I sat in the passenger seat. The ride felt a little similar to Skid Steer since we drove a construction vehicle around a course, but it moved faster and fit two adults in the same vehicle. Meanwhile, Matthew and Matanel rode Farm Tractors since Rugged Riders had a 42-inch minimum rider height, and Matanel was not tall enough to ride. Farm Tractors was very similar to Skid Steer because it also provided the ability to drive around a course and allowed for a single rider with an option to hold a kid on your lap. However, the construction vehicle was a red Kubota B2601.
During the following ride, I sat with Yakov on a bench while the others went on the Excavator Express, which was a train pulled by a Kubota L3901HST Tractor that rode around the park. Then we all watched as Matanel rode the Barrel Train. He was the only kid sitting in one of the short, white barrels being pulled by the operator who was sitting in an orange 2014 Terex TA1EH Site Dumper, and they cruised around the track while Matanel had a blast turning the steering wheel in his barrel.
Although it cost extra, Zack insisted that we ride the Soaring Eagle Zipline, which flew over the entire park. This ride was for adults only, and I was nervous as Zack. We sat in the blue seats next to each other and buckled up. After the operator secured us in our seats, Zack and I held hands as the ride launched us 700 feet backward at a fast pace until we reached 130 feet high. While I was scared on the way up in anticipation of what was to come, the way down was smooth and relaxing, and gave us a panoramic view of the park. Later, Zack announced that the zipline was definitely the best ride.
While the Lubins explored the Crawl Space and Naomi climbed the Rock Wall, Zack and I splashed around at The Water Main, Diggerland’s water park. First, we raced down The Pipeline, which consists of an open and a closed flume body waterslide. Then we headed over to Claw Hammer Clove and swam in the wave pool. Next, we challenged each other to my favorite attraction of the day, Rip Rap Run, which was an obstacle course floating on the water. I loved the obstacle course because I felt like I was a contestant on the show “Total Wipeout,” and Zack and I were able to race across at the same time. Later, we grabbed an inflatable basketball and I beat Zack at a game of H-O-R-S-E at Aqua Shot, which had three basketball hoops in 4 feet of water. Last, we let the current pull us along at Digger River and Vortex, which was a mini lazy river without tubes. After drying off and exiting the park, we ended the day off by eating dinner at the nearby Cherry Grill, a Glatt Kosher meat restaurant in Cherry Hill, before heading home.
Overall, I enjoyed experiencing the fun attractions together with my family, and I know there were also other exciting ones that we didn’t have a chance to get to. While I think Diggerland is a thrilling opportunity for kids to spend time outdoors, I would recommend bringing only kids who are at least 36 inches tall, unless you don’t mind sitting on the side with the shorter ones. If you plan on visiting The Water Main, I would suggest choosing a warm day for your trip since it was only 70 degrees outside when we visited, and Zack and I were freezing.
Tip: while you cannot bring your own food into the park, I would advise packing and leaving food in the car since the parking lot is only a few steps away. Alternatively, you can eat at the nearby Cherry Grill, as we did. Either way, Diggerland is an exciting activity to do on a warm summer day so that you and the family can ride and operate your own construction vehicles.
Hours:
Visit https://diggerlandusa.com/park-hours/ and view Calendar for the schedule. Hours are generally:
Adventure Park: Noon-6 p.m.
Water Park: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Prices:
Children under 36 inches go free, but have limited activities. Guests over the age of 65 go free. Parking is free.
Summer Ticket Sale: $45.95 per ticket (Regularly $49.95)
Summer Season Pass Sale: $109.99 per guest (Regularly $159.99)
Note: Special ticket discounts (AAA, First Responders, veterans, seniors) may only be purchased at the gate.
Special Promo!
Go to https://bit.ly/3picGYV for $6 off each ticket. Limited time and quantity. Can not be combine with other discounts.
Ahuva Greenberg grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and currently lives in Teaneck with her husband, Zack. She is a recruitment coordinator at IPG Mediabrands. Ahuva and Zack celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary a few weeks ago.
