Dig This attraction will let amateurs become temporary excavators

Now, a new construction equipment playground will give ordinary folks a chance to operate life-size Tonka toys.

The former Scandia Amusement Park, which closed in 2006, is being converted into an oversized sandbox called Dig This. The complex at 3012 S. Rancho Drive, scheduled to open April 2, will let guests drive 15-ton heavy construction machinery: a midsized bulldozer or excavator. 

Dig This has received approval from the Las Vegas Planning Commission to operate on the 5-acre site. Dig This has also agreed to lease a 2,850-square-foot-office adjacent to the property.

The construction theme park is the brainchild of New Zealand-born Ed Mumm, who stumbled upon the idea while using a rented excavator to build the foundation for his home in Steamboat Springs, Colo. After a couple of days of digging, he realized that operating machinery was a blast.  

“I was like a kid in a sandbox. I wasn’t making much progress on the house, but I was having great time,” said Mumm, the theme park’s founder and CEO. “I felt that it was something everyone could enjoy, and there was nothing like it out there.” 

Mumm launched a pilot version of Dig This in 2008 in Steamboat Springs. The northwest Colorado park, on 10 acres, operated for three years successfully. But, Mumm had his sights set on Las Vegas from the start.  

“Las Vegas is one of the most visited destinations in the U.S.,” Mumm said. “Steamboat Springs is limited by weather and its remote location, but it gave us a chance to perfect our business model.” 

The Las Vegas park will sell three-hour packages called the “Big Dig” consisting of a 30-minute safety and operation orientation followed by two hours of maneuvering either a Caterpillar D5 track-type bulldozer or a Caterpillar 315CL hydraulic excavator.

The price is $400 per session, which reflects equipment maintenance and insurance costs. Patrons 14 and older can play in the dirt. 

The park will initially have five pieces of machinery available and a dozen employees, all of whom are trained to operate the equipment. The park will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. A gift shop will sell Caterpillar merchandise including hats, accessories, clothing, toys and collectibles. Patrons can also get their pictures taken. 

“We think our customers will be similar to those in Steamboat Springs who want to try doing something different,” Dig This spokeswoman Cathy Wiedemer said. “We had a lot more female customers than we anticipated, including housewives and grandmothers.” 

Participants get behind the controls in climate-controlled, radio-monitored cabs and operate at individual work sites. Guests can either dig a trench up to 10 feet deep or build an earthen mound. Dig This will also offer corporate team-building programs, and will be available for private and special events. The park plans to hold “Mega Days” featuring supersized 30-ton earth-moving machines.  

Although participants receive a certification upon completion, the experience isn’t meant to create professional equipment operators. The park is meant for grown-up kids who are eager to play. 

“It’s just good entertainment,” Dig This Vice President Chad James said. “We found out that throttling up a powerful engine and sculpting mounds of earth is very empowering, and our guests were willing to travel to a remote town in northwest Colorado specifically to do so.”

Contact reporter Tony Illia at 702-303-5699
or tonyillia@aol.com