Construction-Themed Amusement Park Diggerland Being Built in South Jersey

Your kids may soon be begging you to attend another amusement park nearby.

Earlier this week the owners of Sahara Sam’s Oasis, an indoor/outdoor water park in West Berlin, N.J., announced they’d soon be opening Diggerland USA, a construction-themed amusement park behind Sahara Sam’s. Yes, it’s actually called Diggerland.

Developers say it is the first construction-themed amusement park in the U.S., but there are already four Diggerland locations in England—Devon, Durham, Kent and Yorkshire. (As we know from Bob the Builder, the English are uniquely obsessed with building contractors.)

The park is scheduled to have rides that parents and children can operate together, as well as a whole bunch of other stuff:

Diggerland incorporates the hands on operation of machinery for the entire family. Children and parents alike have the opportunity to drive skid-steer loaders, backhoes, tractors, mini dumpers, and small excavators. All the equipment has either been modified for use on a course or made stationary by design for operation in designated excavation areas. An amusement engineering marvel and staple attraction for the park, Spin Dizzy, booms the arm of a 20 ton JCB JS220L excavator up and down while spinning in circles with 8 passengers harnessed into the seats of a modified bucket attachment. In The Backhoe Adventure, 4 riders and a ride marshal climb aboard the cab of a modified JCB 3CX backhoe for a mystery tour while taking turns behind the wheel of the machine.

Other attractions include rock climbing, multiple train rides, a ropes course, an arcade, and a swamp buggy attraction. Smaller guests will enjoy the playground equipment in the Kid Zone, or may opt to take a ride up on the Sky Shuttle, a JCB 540 Telehandler capable of moving 15 guests at a time 5 stories into the sky.

Finally! A chance to climb aboard the cab of a modified JCB 3CX backhoe! (In all seriousness, this idea is better than basing your theme park on the escapades of a not-very-interesting cartoon mouse.)

The 14-acre, 23-attraction Diggerland USA is expected to open sometime early summer.