Dig into Fun at Diggerland

My family was invited to visit Diggerland USA in West Berlin, New Jersey. All thoughts and opinions are always my own. 

Lately I find myself repeating the words, “we don’t need more things” or rather than rewarding with a toy, why not with an experience instead. Why not reward good behavior or a lost tooth or a great sports game with an experience rather than a piece of plastic? The opportunity to make memories together should be more valuable than any thing.

Last year my Mom gave Jack and I passes to a local amusement park for Christmas. We used those passes all summer long and have continued to enjoy them this fall. It was the gift that kept giving year round.

This past week we had a chance to visit Diggerland USA. If you haven’t been to Diggerland before Diggerland is the first of its kind park in North America. Not only is the park construction themed but all of the attractions give children and families the ability to operate and ride on real construction equipment. Tell a little boy that he can operate his own digger and you will understand the level of excitement this brings.

Diggerland is not a huge park, making it perfect for kids because it doesn’t involve a ton of walking, you don’t need a stroller and there is little worry about kids getting lost. While not a big park Diggerland packs a lot of rides in. There are 26 attractions at the park all geared to different ages and abilities.

Some of the highlights from our day at Diggerland:

Jackson went on the Dig-A-Round for the first time, than rode it 3 more times (twice by himself). The Dig-A-Round is Diggerland’s version of a Merry-Go-Round, except it’s operated by construction equipment and to Jack’s happy surprise it goes backwards.

Jackson begged John to climb the ropes course and John happily agreed. I’m not sure he was as happy when he reached the top but Jack was at the bottom cheering him on the whole time. And he must have enjoyed it because he went back and climbed it a second time. It was a cloudy day when we went but the ride attendant told him that on a clear day you can see Philadelphia from the top.

Last time we visited Diggerland, Jack rode the Mini Land Rovers with his friend, this time he was tall enough to ride on his own. He loved driving around the track in his mini land rover. And I was really impressed by how well he navigated the track and how he only went off road once, but according to him he did that on purpose.

As soon as I told Jackson we were going to Diggerland, his first question was could he go on the Mini Diggers. The Mini Diggers give kids the ability to operate a real digger and pick up bricks using the controls. Jackson went on by himself but needed a little help so John ended up joining him. They had fun picking them up and dropping them in the mud puddle produced from the previous days rain.

With Jackson and I’m sure most kids, it’s hard to leave anywhere without stopping at the arcade. The arcade at Diggerland is packed with fun games and is a great place to take a break from the rides. Jackson and John were determined to win a Minion and after about 3 tries they succeeded. Jack was thrilled.

For me who is pregnant and not really able to go on a lot of rides the highlight was watching the smiles on my boys faces. Jackson smiled the entire time we were there. He loved racing around the park and deciding what to ride next. He ran circles around the ropes course cheering John on. I loved being able to share this day with them, and that kept me smiling the whole day.

If you want to share an experience with your family this holiday season, Diggerland is having a Black Friday Sale, on Friday, November 27th from 6 am – 6pm. Single day admission will be on sale for $19.9 5 (originally $34.95) and memberships will be on sale for $59.95 (originally $100). These sales are available online.

For more information on visiting Diggerland, check out my 5 Things You Need to Know About Diggerland USA.

And to view the rides check out my videos of our experience at Diggerland USA, on You Tube.