Over the weekend myself, my kids, my aunt, my niece and nephew visited Diggerland in West Berlin, NJ. It is a bit of a drive from Central NJ, about 1 and a half hours, but it is well worth it and an easy trip right up the NJ Turnpike to exit 4.

This is a dream come true for any child who has a thing for construction. Even though my boys were never into it much, they had huge smiles on their faces all day!

It is toddler friendly, there are many things they can do even if they do not meet some of the ride height requirements because many allow for an accompanying adult, so although they cannot go alone if they do not meet the requirement, they can still ride the ride and enjoy all of the experiences.

One thing to note is that when we went, on a Saturday, it was not at all too crowded which I loved. The kids only had short waits in the lines for the rides and activities. That means a lot to me. Especially on a hot Summer day, nothing is worse than standing in a long line with the sun beaming down on you and cranky hot kids. That is not the case here, so feel free to go on a weekend if that is when you’re free.

Let’s check out some of the awesome things we saw and did during our visit this June;

RUGGED RIDERS –

The kids absolutely loved this! As long as they’re 48″ or taller they get to drive the RTV themselves, yes by themselves! There is a track that you go around twice. My 11 year old did it all by himself, and I went on with my 7 year old just for the ride, but he did all of the driving and steering. The smiles on their faces were priceless.

Driver Minimum Height 48″, Minimum rider height when accompanied by parents/guardian: 42″

Ride or drive the comfortable and versatile off-road Kubota RTV-900. Weighing almost 2000 lbs and with 21.6 HP, the ease of using the Rugged Riders might surprise you.  Read all about the release of this new ride in the press release.

BIG DIGGERS –

This was another hit with our kids. Actually operating the construction machinery. The REAL, big, construction machines. They had digging pits filled with dirt set up and the kids get to dig away. The machines are set on a few minute timer, but again, there were not many long lines or waits so they were able to go on as many times as they’d like. I was amazed at how easily they all figured out how to operate them and maybe they are some construction workers in the making!

Operator minimum height: 42″ | Lap rider must be: 36″ – 48″

Learn to operate a real digger! Weighing in at a whopping 7,092 pounds, and with a powerful 26.8hp engine, kids can dig until their hearts are content on the JCB 8030’s. This supervised attraction offers family-friendly machinery and the chance to really get down and dirty!

MINI DIG: DUCKS

Similar to the Big Diggers attraction above, they got to operate the real machinery and in this case, had some arcade like games with it. There were different ones set up, some to pick up a row of ducks and see how many you can get in the limited time (maybe 2 minutes or so) and a bowling setup of “pins” to try and knock over in the same amount of time. Again, I was impressed how quickly the kids picked up how to operate it. My 11 year old got almost all of the ducks (except 1) in the time frame and I had watched adults do it prior to him, only getting 1 or 2, so I was impressed. It was fun to watch. Adults are welcome to join in on all of the fun including these game and verse your children or eachother.

Operator minimum height: 42″ | Lap rider must be: 36″ – 48″

Snatch floating ducks from a pond with a JCB 8018 CTS mini-excavator! At 2,200 rpms with its piston-driven motor, grabbing all the ducks from our pond is not as easy as it looks!

MINI DIG: BOWLERS

Operator minimum height: 42″ | Lap rider must be: 36″ – 48″

No special shoes required for this game of EXTREME bowling! Your “bowling ball” is attached to the arm of a JCB 8018 mini-excavator! Manipulate the arm and see if you can knock down all of the pins! Sounds easy—but not when you’re controlling over two tons of steel!

DIG-A-ROUND –

This is the more awesome version of the carousel that you’re used to. Instead of riding on a horse, the kids get to sit in actual cranes that have been made into a fun ride we all know and love. Is this a kids dream or what?

Minimum height 36” to ride

Half merry-go-round, half excavator! The Dig-A-Round is Diggerland’s version of a carousel! Climb into the bucket of a JCB 8065 and enjoy the breeze as you are elevated and circled around this 14,515 pound 8065 excavator!

DIGGER DERBY –

Your classic go karts, but they’re rigged to go bit slower for little ones. Easy to start and stop, the “pedals” to go are actually on the steering wheel making it easy for even the smallest of drivers to have fun.

Driver minimum height: 38″ Driver maximum height: 60″

Hop behind the wheel of one of these individual mini cars and prepare to burn some serious rubber as you operate the vehicle around our exclusive racetrack. No better way to test your speedway skills and get the adrenaline pumping! (Note:  This ride has a 38” minimum and 60” maximum height to drive)

THE KID ZONE –

This is a cute park in the coolest rainbow colors for the kids to enjoy when they need a break from such coolness surrounding them. Slides come from every angle of the main unit, accompanied by some swings and standard park-like fun.

Children Only, No Height Requirement.

Kids have a place of their very own in the Kids’ Zone! Packed with activities to keep them busy, mom and dad can relax and know that their child is safe and having fun in a place built just for them!

VIDEO ARCADE –

The arcade is simple and small, but packs a lot of fun. My nephew got a whopping 1800 pts to spend at the prize counter and my kids enjoyed the video games and claws. It’s a nice break from the heat, and a chance to escape the little rain we got on the day we went.

Diggerland has a full arcade center stocked with some awesome prizes! Take a break and play some Skee-Ball, air hockey, or one of the many other game systems to enjoy.

Diggerland is open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm and Weekends 10am-7pm. Get your Tickets here or go to diggerlandusa.com.

There are many other rides that we didn’t have time to visit, 25+! Check out their site for more.  They also have tractor pulls and fun activities that vary per day.  The Elmwood park zoo was there with some animals the day we went which was a perk!

Check out our fun time: