Eight construction theme parks around the world

We’ve all been to amusement parks at some point in our lives, and can agree that the rides don’t differ that much from park to park. Roller coasters, teacup rides, bumper cars, ferris wheels etc, it’s the same old stuff all the time.

However, unbeknownst to many of us, there are construction machinery theme parks around the world offering adults and children alike the opportunity to hop on big, heavy construction machinery and experience a day in the life of a tradesman.

We all have that dream of bulldozing something into the ground or simply dig massive holes with an excavator. These theme parks give visitors a chance to do exactly that and fulfill their childhood sandbox dreams.

Here are six construction theme parks that can be found around the globe and I'm happy to report that there are a couple in our very own backyard!

This was the park that started it all, with four locations now across the UK and one in the US (more on this later).

It was started in 2000 by the owner of a construction machinery hire company in the UK, who had a light bulb moment following a company family open day. Seeing all the children’s faces light up upon seeing the machines and sitting in the cabs led him to open up Diggerland where visitors get the chance to operate heavy machinery in a safe manner, no experience or qualifications required.

There are now four Diggerland locations across the UK in Kent (the first one), Devon, Durham and Yorkshire. The park mainly features and uses JCB machines such as skid steers, excavators and backhoe loaders for its attractions.

Diggerland has cleverly set up its attractions to mirror carnival games people are familiar with, except you use mini excavators or backhoes to try to knock skittles over or find buried treasure in a sandpit.

In addition to having a go at operating these machinery under supervision, visitors can also ride construction machinery themed carnival rides such as Spindizzy, where visitors get flung around in a supersized purpose built excavator “bucket”; or the Dig-a-round - a carousel ride where visitors sit in seats built to look like digger buckets.

Visit Diggerland UK's website for more information.

Following its phenomenal success in the UK, Diggerland decided to expand to the US and constructed a park in New Jersey on 14 acres.

It opened in 2014 and also features water attractions in addition to a construction themed park.

Diggerland USA was certainly determined to outdo its overseas cousins, as it offers plenty more rides and games in addition to the popular attractions found in the UK parks.

One that caught our eye was a tipper trailer ride, where visitors are raised 34 feet in the air sitting in the rear of a truck and then tipped, simulating a trailer dumping its cargo (with patrons firmly seated and belted in, of course.)

Other rides and attractions include tractor pulls, scissor lift rides, rope courses, farm tractor rides and more.

Another unique offering at Diggerland USA is Diggerland XL which is specifically for adults 18 years and over. It offers group packages for events including birthdays, corporate team building sessions, fun family days out, bachelorette parties and more. Participants get to operate full sized heavy equipment under the guidance of a trainer, and even get to crush a car with a machine of their choice if they wish.

Visit Diggerland USA's website for more information.

Extreme Sandbox founder, Randy Stenger, was your typical corporate worker with no experience whatsoever in construction or machinery operation. One day while driving past a construction site, his children commented on how fun it would be to drive one of the big trucks they saw on the site and hence, the idea for Extreme Sandbox was born.

Randy wanted to offer the wider community not just a unique experience with heavy machinery but also a better understanding of the construction industry in general.

The first Extreme Sandbox in Hastings, Minnesota, was open in 2014. Over the years, the business grew to include a considerable fleet of machines that include dozers, remote controlled vehicles and firetrucks.

However, it wasn’t until 2016 that the business really expanded by leaps and bounds, thanks to Randy’s appearance on popular business reality TV show, Shark Tank USA.

Randy’s pitch successfully won over sharks Mark Cuban and Kevin O’Leary, who both injected a total of $150,000 into the business. Since then, Extreme Sandbox expanded to Texas but closed that location as of April 2022, leaving only the Minnesota sandbox operating.

The park’s concept is pretty simple. Allowing big kids and little kids the chance to jump in heavy machinery and have a go at driving them.

Customers decide the duration they would like to drive the machines and can pick up to three different types of machines to have a go in. Depending on the packages they select, park operators might also set up an obstacle course for the visitors to navigate. And yes, you can also opt to crush a car with a digger if you wish, because what’s the point of a heavy machinery experience if you can’t destroy something?

Visit Extreme Sandbox's website for more information.

Dig This in Las Vegas has a similar concept to Extreme Sandbox in offering individuals and groups the chance to experience heavy machinery operation.

Dig This’s fleet consists of Caterpillar machinery spanning larger excavators weighing up to 16 tonnes, mini excavators, skid steers and big bulldozers.

Visitors can book either individual or group packages for a customised experience, and kids can certainly join in the fun too. The facility also offers obstacle courses and fun games for patrons to play using heavy machinery such as excavator basketball, tire stacking and more.

Visit Dig This Las Vegas' website for more information.

From the founder of Dig This in Vegas (who happens to be a Kiwi) comes Dig This NZ, which was set up in Invercargill, south of New Zealand.

Southland local, Ed Mumm, began his ventures in the US with Dig This in Colorado back in 2006 (before it eventually moved to Vegas). After much success with the venue in the US, he then decided to open a similar heavy machinery theme park in his hometown.

The offerings are pretty similar to its counterpart in the US, in that patrons get to choose from different packages and machines to suit their needs. There are packages allowing visitors to pick just one machine to play with or ones where visitors can go to town on a combination of machines.

An Aggression Session package will allow you to get behind the controls of a big digger and crunch a car to bits. A little agro never hurt nobody, as long as it’s done safely.

Or if you’re just looking to dig a big harmless hole with an excavator or push huge mounds of dirt around with a dozer, this venue has the facilities to let you do just that.

Visit Dig This Invercargill's website for more information.

Yes, we do indeed have one of these fantastic oversized sandboxes complete with actual working excavators and dump trucks in our very own backyard! In fact, I popped by for a visit in 2019, and had an absolute ball.

READ AND WATCH VIDEO: Major Dirtbox: the ultimate playground for big kids

Major Dirtbox is situated in Yatala, QLD which isn’t far from Australia’s theme park capital – the Gold Coast. It is run by the Major Training Group, which offers heavy machinery training courses across Queensland.

The owner of Major Training Group stumbled upon the idea of offering a recreational type machinery operation experience when some of his non-industry mates mentioned they’d love the chance to have a go in these big boys toys, just for fun.

With the machinery and facilities already in place at his training business, it wasn’t a huge outlay at all for the owner to set up this recreational offering and hence Major Dirtbox was born.

Again, the offerings are similar to most other construction theme parks mentioned above. Visitors choose the type of machine they wish to have a go in, and the trainer in charge will set up activities and courses for them to take on in the machine.

But what was different about Major Dirtbox, compared to the other parks, is its dump truck experience which, in my opinion, is the most fun out of all machines to drive.

The sheer size of the 42-tonne truck makes the experience of driving it a bit daunting at first but once you’ve familiarised yourself with the machine, it is heaps of fun to drive. You can even pull a lever to tip the body to pretend to unload cargo and lower it back down again.

The next time you visit the Gold Coast, skip the major theme parks and give Major Dirtbox a go!

Visit Major Dirtbox's website for more information.

Opened in 2023, Dig IT is the latest addition to Australia's theme park scene and is located on Tamborine Mountain, QLD, just an hour from both Brisbane and the Gold Coast in the Scenic Rim.

The theme park has been designed specifically for the little ones and features nine Cat excavators and several zones with different activities for visitors to experience, including:

Safety equipment such as high-vis vests and hard hats are provided for visitors and there are skilled employees present every step of the way to offer guidance and supervision.

If there is a way to peel the kids off their screens and iPads and get immersed in an educational hands-on experience, this is it!

Admission is $45 per person and spans two hours.

Visit Dig IT's website for more information.

Opened in March 2024, Dig'n Zone claims to be North America's largest construction-based theme park with over 20 attractions spread over 27 acres.

The theme park, situated in Sevierville, Tennessee in the United States of America, caters to both adults and children and features a wide range of attractions and rides, such as excavators, skid-steers, rollers, forklifts, loaders and more.

Visitors will be able to have a go on earthmoving machines to complete tasks such as digging and filling a hole or ride "The Decimator", a spinning ride powered by a 22-tonne Cat 320 excavator, a ride not for the faint-hearted.

In addition to hosting group events such as birthdays or corporate team building, Dig'n Zone also holds yearly events in conjunction with major festivities such as Dig’n Lights for Christmas.

Visit Dig'n Zone's website for more information.