Construction Theme Park Diggerland USA Complete Guide
Diggerland USA in West Berlin is a fun construction theme park for kids and adults alike. This guide tells you all you need to know about Diggerland USA.
If your dream is to operate heavy machinery and drive construction vehicles then you would love Diggerland USA.
Constructed in 2014, Diggerland USA is a construction themed amusement park and water park that is great for families. It is the first construction themed amusement park in the US so you can imagine the excitement it brings to kids and even adults who love construction vehicles.
If you want to visit Diggerland this summer this post will tell you everything you need to know, including how to get the Diggerland, parking situation at Diggerland, where to stay near Diggerland and if Diggerland is worth visiting whether your kids are young or older.
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Where is Diggerland USA?
Diggerland USA is located in West Berlin, New Jersey. It is in southern New Jersey if you have no idea where West Berlin is.
Just to put West Berlin on the map, it is actually closer to Philadelphia then most of the cities in New Jersey:
- Distance from Philadelphia: 23 miles (30 minute drive)
- Distance from Atlantic City: 45 miles (50 minute drive)
- Distance from Princeton: 47 miles (55 minute drive)
- Distance from Manhattan (NYC): 91 miles (1.5-2 hour drive)
It is possible to do a day trip to Diggerland from New York City but you would be looking at a pretty long day.
What’s in Diggerland?
Diggerland USA has two major “parks” inside:
- Adventure Park with construction themed rides and attractions
- 2 acre water park called the Water Main
There are over 40 attractions at Diggerland (not including the water park). There are an array of rides and things you can ride in in the adventure park.
In addition to the rides, there is a ropes course, rock wall climbing, crawl space (giant play ground), arcade center, and other attractions that the entire family can enjoy.
Some of the attractions do cost extra money but most attractions are included in the general admission tickets.
The Water Main water park at Diggerland has been going under expansion in the last year or two. Now the waterpark includes:
- Wave Pool
- Crossing Activity Pool
- Slide Tower
- Wibit-Brand Challenge Course
- Swim Vortex
- In-Pool Basketball Area
- Themed Splash Park
- Cafe with food
- Swim Zones
- Cabanas for Rent
- Changing room
There is no “ride” at the waterpark, but the entire family can enjoy the pools at the water park. Water park admission is included in general admission tickets.
When is Diggerland Open?
Diggerland is not open all year round. It operates on a seasonal schedule.
Diggerland USA is open everyday from mid June (usually on a Friday) to Labor Day unless there is bad weather, then they will close the park.
From mid May to the second week of June, Diggerland USA is open only on Saturdays and Sundays. After Labor Day in September until the last weekend in November, only the rides are open on Saturdays and Sundays.
Diggerland is completely closed from November to mid May.
Park hours also differ based on the months. On days that the water park is open, usually the water park opens first at 10am; then rides open at noon until 6pm. On days that the water park is not open, rides generally are open from 11am to 6pm.
There are a number of seasonal events at Diggerland.
From September to mid November, there is a Diggerfest Fall Festival where there are pumpkins decoration around Diggerland with live music, hay rides, petting zoo, carnival games and mazes and other fall activities.
From mid November to the end of November there is Santa Visits Diggerland, where you can take photos with Santa Claus.
For more information, check Diggerland calendar and festival information.
When does the waterpark at Diggerland open?
The waterpark at Diggerland is open from mid May until Labor Day. From mid May to mid June, the waterpark (like the rest of Diggerland) is only open on Saturday and Sundays.
The waterpark at Diggerland opens at 10am, 2 hours before rides open. So if you want to maximize your time at Diggerland, you can go to the waterpark first for 2 hours before the other rides are open.
Is Diggerland open for spring break?
Unfortunately Diggerland is not open for spring break since it opens in mid May.
How much are Diggerland tickets?
Individual tickets during the summer costs between $45-$50 a person; Children under 36″ and non-participating guests over 65-years-old are free.
Note that children under 36″ also can’t ride the rides.
General admission in the spring or fall are cheaper because the water park is not open.
Seasonal Pass costs $99.99 – $159.99 per person (there is a lot of discounts so you can get it for $99.99). The season pass is valid for the entire year (during the months when it’s open).
You can get tickets online or at the gate. We got tickets at the gate since the park closes when it storms so we didn’t want to risk it. We went on a weekday so there was no issue getting tickets at the door.
There is no fast pass at Diggerland.
There are other types of tickets at Diggerland, including cabana rental at the water park, birthday parties, family camp out, etc. For detailed ticket information, see the official website.
How Much is Parking at Diggerland USA?
Unlike many other amusement parks, parking at Diggerland USA is free!
There is a large parking lot at Diggerland so you don’t have to worry about parking running out.
What age is Diggerland good for?
Diggerland is great for children starting at 3 years old (or 36″ tall). There is no upper limit for Diggerland since I saw a lot of adults enjoying the rides and the waterpark.
Most of the rides at Diggerland is pretty “mild” and younger toddlers (those under 42″ in height) can get on most of the rides while accompanied by an adult. There are a few rides that have a minimum height requirement of 42″.
If you have an older child taller than 48″ then they can ride all the rides and operate all the “heavy machineries”.
For children under 36″ there is a playground, attractions like bean bag toss, four in a row, duck race, kiddie pool at the waterpark and a few pay-per-ride miniature machinery.
What food options are there at Diggerland?
There are a number of food options at Diggerland offering you typical amusement park food.
There are 2 main cafes at Diggerland that sells lunch food, like entrees, sides, snacks, drinks, and ice cream.
Entree options include pizza, hot dog, chicken tender, fries, chicken sandwich, grilled cheese, mac & cheese, wraps, salad and quesadilla.
Sides include fries, chips, mozzarella sticks, nachos & cheese and pretzel.
Besides the 2 main cafes, you will find 4 shops that sells slides, sides, drinks and ice cream throughout the park.
There are three outdoor covered pavilions where you can eat your food. It’s a great place to chill out on a hot summer day. Note that the cafes do not have seating inside, they are just for ordering.
Lines can get quite long around 1pm so be sure to get lunch early if you don’t want to wait in a long time under the sun for food.
If you really do not like the food options at Diggerland, you can always leave the park to grab food outside and come back the same day, as long as you have your wristband on.
What rides are there at Diggerland? Are there kiddie rides at Diggerland?
Both the adventure park and waterpark at Diggerland have rides and attractions. I will break them down in detail.
Rides at Adventure Park
Rides for children under 36″
Although most rides require the child to be at least 36″ tall, shorter kids can still have fun at Diggerland.
There are 15 total “attractions” for children under 36″, including some hands on activities like:
- Lumberjack Claw: a claw controlled by joystick to grab lumber
- Battle trucks: a family friendly bumpy ride on the back of a large truck (30″ min height)
- Barrel train: a really cute “train” ride that kids can ride by themselves (30″ min height)
- Tire Pulley: learn to use a pulley to lift tires
- Superdigs: miniature machinery to dig! It costs extra money to operate this
Other attractions for kids under 36″ include machineries on display, duck racing, video arcade, bean bag toss, four in a row, and a large playground area called The Crawl Space including slides, swings and construction themed seesaws.
There are also fire trucks and ambulances on display that kids can climb into and pretend to drive.
Rides for kids between 36″ to 42″ tall
There are a total of 16 attractions at Diggerland that are available for kids between 36″ to 42″ tall. Of course if your kids are taller than 42″ they can ride these rides or even operate them.
In general at Diggerland if you want to operate the machinery or vehicle you need to be at least 42″ tall (some rides require the operator to be 48″ tall).
For kids between 36″ and 42″ tall can be a “lap rider”, meaning a parent or guardian can operate the vehicle and have the child is on their lap.
I will not go over all the rides since some are quite similar, and you can find the full descriptions on the official website. I will just talk about some of the most popular rides here.
Big Diggers and Mini Dig are two different rides where the operator can operate an excavator (Mini Dig uses a hook) to dig up dirt or pick up shapes. The Big Diggers were especially popular when we visited. I even saw adults riding it themselves to dig up dirt!
The Ground Shuttle is a fun ride where you sit in the “handle” of a JCB Telescopic Handler. You get lifted up from the ground in this powerful machine.
If you like heights, then another cool ride is the Elevation Station, where you are lifted 60 feet off the ground and see the view of the surrounding areas. It’s not free fall so don’t worry!
Like train rides but in a tractor? Excavator Express is a cute ride that is pulled by a Kubota Tractor. You can sit back and enjoy the ride which was quite relaxing.
You may not find a carousel at Diggerland but you will find a dig-a-round. Dig-A-Round allows you to sit in the bucket of the excavator as it elevates and goes in a circle.
Lastly there are a number of modified construction vehicles like roller, skit steers and different tractors that you can drive around the track (while having your kid on your lap). It’s a pretty cool experience to drive these construction vehicles although they go very slow.
Rides for children taller than 42″
Now we are talking about the more thrilling rides at Diggerland! And guess what? I saw a lot of adults going on these rides so you know they can be pretty fun (they are also the type of rides I tend to avoid haha).
The most thrilling ride at Diggerland has to be the Soaring Eagle Zipline (costs extra). You sit on a two seater zipline that takes you 130 feet above the ground down a 700 feet long zipline. You just sit on the chair as you get pulled up (backward facing) to the highest point before you come back down again.
Another super thrilling (and dizzying) ride is the Spin Dizzy (hey if the name has the word Dizzy in it, you can bet you will be dizzy). You basically sit in the bucket of a huge excavator and it will lift you above the ground and spins in different directions.
If you are pretty adventurous then you would love the Ropes Course. This 4 story tall rose course challenges your ability to navigate and make it to the top. I don’t like heights so I will never be doing this but tons of older kids were doing it!
There are a number of other attractions for taller kids like the Greased Beast (you sit in a dump truck that raises you 34 feet above ground), rock climbing, Rugged Riders where you drive an off-road Kubota RTV-900, and sky shuttle where you are lifted 50 feet in the air.
Diggerland Water Park
The water park at Diggerland is meant for all ages to enjoy. In fact most pools are available for kids under 36″ tall.
There is a construction themed splash playground at the water park with mini slides, spray jackhammers, geyers and other fun things for the kids. Your little ones can also enjoy shooting ball in the pool, interactive spray at the Digger River, shadow wading pool, etc.
For taller kids there is a new wave pool, 2 obstacle courses (one requires 42″ minimum height) and a giant water slides (40″ inch+) that they would love at Diggerland’s water park.
In addition, you can rent a Cabana at the water park to chill and relax.
Do you need more than one day at Diggerland?
In general you only need one full day at Diggerland to enjoy the park, especially when the water park is not open.
Since the water park opens 2 hours before the rides, you can fully enjoy the water park before hopping over to the rides.
If you are visiting on a week day, there really isn’t too much of a line for the rides and you will be able to get through all the rides at least once.
But in the occasion that you REALLY love the water park and you want to ride the rides multiple times, I could see how you can spend more than a day at Diggerland. This is when the seasonal pass comes in handy!
In summary one day at Diggerland is enough since a lot of the rides are very similar in nature (like driving a tractor or a roller or a bulldozer).
What to pack for Diggerland?
Diggerland is super fun but you need to be prepared! There isn’t too much shade around the park and they have a policy that you cannot wear bathing suits outside of the waterpark. So keeping that in mind, here are some essential things I suggest you pack when visiting Diggerland with kids.
Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat are essential since you will be under the sun most of the time. I don’t think I saw a single tree when I was there (at least not a tree with shades). If you don’t want to get burned, remember to re-apply sunscreen every 90 minutes. I especially recommend mineral sunscreen for kids since they are safer.
Swimwear, flip flops, towels are essential for the water park. Although if you don’t have a towel you can always purchase one. Note that flip flops are not meant for outside of the water park, so you will need comfortable shoes.
Swim diapers are necessary for kids that are not potty trained.
Portable potty seats are recommended for kids that can’t sit on the adult toilet yet. There is no kids size toilet at Diggerland.
Water bottles are definitely essential, although you can always buy drinks. Outside food is prohibited unless it’s baby food but when I was there this was not very strictly enforced.
ID and credit card are required if you are purchasing tickets or booked tickets online. They will be checking to make sure your booking matches the credit card that was used.
Diaper, bibs and maybe plates are great if you have younger kids.
But honestly when I went in the summer I wish I had those hand held fans or a cooling towel on my neck because it was so hot and humid.
Our Experience at Diggerland USA
We tried to visit Diggerland twice and we were only successful the second time! Why? Because knowing New York/ NJ area, there are a lot of thunder storms forecasted in the summer.
The first time we tried to visit Diggerland they literally announced around noon that they were going to be closed for the next two days due to weather so we had to cancel our plans last minute (and lost money on hotel booking).
Lesson No.1: Always check their Twitter for updates especially if it’s forecasted to rain.
If you already have a ticket booked you can always use it on a different day during the same season. Or if the park closes for more than 2 hours on the day you are visiting, you can get a “rain check” ticket to come back on a different day.
As our luck had it, we decided to try again the next week and that was during one of the wild fires in Canada. This meant we were going on a day with bad air quality but that was the only time we could do it so we went.
We ended up visiting on a Thursday so we didn’t actually expect a crowd. We also figured since we were visiting on a week day it would be easy to get tickets at the door and we were correct.
We got to Diggerland around 11:30am, bought tickets, got the wristband and just walked around waiting for the rides to open at noon.
We didn’t attempt the water park because we didn’t want to carry our wet bathing suit around in case we wanted to go back to the water park later but if you know you are going to enjoy the water park I would suggest doing it first to maximize your time at the park.
We originally planned on getting lunch around 11:30am before it gets busy so we can be one of the first ones for the rides when they open at noon. But little did we know that cafes also open at noon!
Lesson No.2: Cafes open at noon; if you want lunch you should get it as soon as it opens to avoid the long wait.
We ended up walking around for a bit before getting lunch at noon and eating in one of the open air covered pavilions. Since we got food right when they opened there was no wait yay.
After a quick lunch we decided to check out all the rides. If you are coming in from the main entrance, water park is on the left hand side and most of the rides are on the right side.
We decided to just go to the end and work our back towards the water park.
For most of the rides we had very little or no wait. However for some of the rides (like driving a Skid Steer) the wait was long. It was partially due to the park being short staffed so instead of having 5-6 vehicles for people to operate, they only allowed 2-3 at a time.
In addition there were a number of big families ahead of us so we had to wait for the parent to come back and take a different child.
Lesson No.3: if you see a huge family especially if there are more kids than adults, you might want to avoid that line and go to a different ride.
Attractions like Big Diggers and Dig-A-Round were nice because they could accommodate a lot of people at the same time so the wait was a lot shorter for these rides.
Another thing we noticed was that since they were short staffed, sometimes one staff would be operating two rides. For example we wanted to ride Ground Shuttle which was kind of hidden in the back, and it turns out that the person was trying to manage this and Farm Tractors at the same time.
We ended up having to come back later for Ground Shuttle because there were a lot more people lining up for Farm Tractors so the staff member couldn’t just make them wait while driving Ground Shuttle for us.
Between 12:30pm and 4pm we pretty much tried all the rides that were available for kids between 36″ and 42″.
Some of our favorite rides included Big Diggers (which takes a while to get used to), Ground Shuttle, Excavator Express, Dig-A-Round, and Shake N Roll.
It was pretty cool to drive the construction vehicles but after two you will begin to feel the same. They are all very slow and you really don’t feel much difference when you are driving.
While we were taking a break we tried to get some water and ice cream and oh boy the line was a lot longer. Considering we went on a not-so-busy day I was surprised how long it took us to get water.
Lesson No.4: if you just want water, snack or ice cream, try one of the snack stands instead of the main cafes to avoid the wait.
After we were pretty much done with the rides in the Adventure Park, we decided to try out the water park.
There are a couple of changing rooms and bathrooms at the water park but if you can, I would highly suggest just wearing your swimsuit under your regular clothes. Maybe I didn’t look enough but I was surprised I only saw a couple of changing rooms and I imagine that would take a long time if it was busy.
There were way more cabanas than changing rooms at the water park and I didn’t really see anyone in the cabanas.
If your kids love water then they would love the waterpark. There are very shadow kiddie pools and spray zones that are perfect for small kids. The waterslides and obstacle courses seemed pretty fun as well!
Since we visited the water park pretty late in the day, it actually was great since a lot of the lounge chairs were open and it wasn’t overly crowded.
Where to stay near Diggerland?
There is no hotel in the immediate proximity of Diggerland. However I assume you will have a car so you can find a number of medium ranged hotels within 20 minutes drive from Diggerland.
You are not going to find a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton anywhere near Diggerland. So to set expectations you will find 2 or 3 star chain hotels and models near Diggerland.
Some of the more established hotels near Diggerland include Hampton Inn and Spring Hills Suites.
You can find much nicer hotels if you hop over to Philly which is about a 40 minute drive without traffic. Unless you plan to be in Philly I don’t think it would be a good idea to stay there.
Depending on your plans, if you are planning to visit Sesame Place right after (or before) Diggerland, it may make sense to just stay across the street from Sesame Place in the Spring Hills Suites there, which is what we did.
Other things to know before visiting Diggerland
- Check status online and the weather before you go. If thunderstorm is forecasted there is a high chance the park will be closed
- You can rent lockers and strollers for a fee at Diggerland USA
- You can purchase towel at the Water Park if you forget to bring your own
- There is no wifi at Diggerland
- You cannot bring any nuts products because of potential allergy risks for other guests
- You need to wear proper clothes outside of the waterpark at Diggerland
Is Diggerland Worth Visiting?
If you have a child that loves construction vehicles then I think Diggerland is definitely worth a visit!
It is one of the only construction themed amusement parks in the US and the park is purposely looking “half finished” to fit the construction area vibe.
There are so many different rides and a variety of different things to do. Going in the summer is especially nice with the addition of the water park, where you can literally spend half a day at.
Not only do kids love Diggerland, many adults also enjoy operating construction vehicles. I mean when do you actually get a chance to do that?
If you can spare a day or two to make a trip to West Berlin in New Jersey then Diggerland is certainly worth stopping by.
Would I go back to Diggerland? Yes definitely, although I may not go until next summer since I live pretty far from Diggerland. If you live close to Diggerland, it’s worth getting the season pass and go a few times a year.
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