Are we THERE yet?
August 4, 2008 2:17 PM   Subscribe

The BEST summer vacation EVER!!!

My son would LOVE this!!
posted by pearlybob (57 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Damn OSHA for not allowing construction sites have "Bring your Kids to Work Day." Kudos to Diggerland!
posted by not_on_display at 2:25 PM on August 4, 2008


You mean,

Diggerland, an excavation themed adventure park associated with H.E. Services, the UK's largest specialist excavation company, Looks like it would be the BeSt SummER VaCaYY EVeR OMgz!!!1!1

Some more photos from Flickr.
posted by clearly at 2:29 PM on August 4, 2008 [6 favorites]


I would love this!
posted by Capt Jingo at 2:29 PM on August 4, 2008


And also, your favorite summer destination sucks.
posted by clearly at 2:29 PM on August 4, 2008


Here is the actual Diggerland website. Should have looked further.
posted by pearlybob at 2:32 PM on August 4, 2008


Do they get to bury any of those kids? they look like they could use a time out.
posted by Postroad at 2:34 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


All of the fun of a construction site, with none of the swearing or horrific injuries!*

















*Horrific injuries can be arranged for a nominal fee.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 2:36 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


Well, the kids look like they're having fun.

How is it possible something like this can exist in the UK, and not in a redneck part of the US?
posted by crapmatic at 2:40 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


Crapmatic, you can drive a tank in the US.
posted by sarahnade at 2:45 PM on August 4, 2008


How is it possible something like this can exist in the UK, and not in a redneck part of the US?

Because I'm guessing that sort of thing would be old hat for the kids and hardly fun escapism for the parents, sorta like a paper-pusher bringing the kids to Cubicle-Land. "Oooooo, who wants to go on The Colllator?"
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 2:46 PM on August 4, 2008 [3 favorites]


Fucking hipsters. If there's a silver lining to the imminent collapse of the western economy...
posted by Naberius at 2:46 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


The extra L in 'The Colllator' makes it more fun!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 2:47 PM on August 4, 2008


Oh, you laugh. My five-year-old and two-year-old would think they had died and gone to little boy heaven at Diggerland.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 2:50 PM on August 4, 2008


I don't get your point Alvy. While most kids in the neighborhood pretended to be huge excavators in the sandboxes and played with mud, I roamed the streets looking for cardboard boxes to build "cubicles" first, and stole receipts from the 7-11 trash cans to play accountant.
posted by dirty lies at 2:53 PM on August 4, 2008 [2 favorites]


I am holding out for CERN-land.
posted by everichon at 2:53 PM on August 4, 2008


How is it possible something like this can exist in the UK, and not in a redneck part of the US?

It is in Medway, alleged birthplace of the word "chav", which is the social equivalent of redneck. And who else but rednecks would build a giant replica horse?
posted by cillit bang at 2:55 PM on August 4, 2008


And who else but rednecks would build a giant replica horse?

The Achaeans?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 2:57 PM on August 4, 2008 [23 favorites]


Odysseus was the original good ol' boy.
posted by mr_roboto at 2:59 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


1. Clone stamp
2. Add "N"


Diggenland?

That's not really all that funny.
posted by quin at 3:07 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


Well, it beats Chiggerland.
posted by klangklangston at 3:12 PM on August 4, 2008 [4 favorites]


Dig "n" Land?
posted by Hicksu at 3:16 PM on August 4, 2008


That series of pictures could easily be recaptioned "The Gallery of Bored Older Sisters".
posted by majick at 3:23 PM on August 4, 2008 [4 favorites]


Forget everything else - this post was worth it for the Diggerland theme tune.
posted by liquidindian at 3:45 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


1. Clone stamp
2. Add "N"

Diggenland?


No, you daft moron.

Dinnerland. Who wouldn't want a trip to Dinnerland?
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:47 PM on August 4, 2008 [6 favorites]


For adults, there's also Dig This "The First Heavy Equipment Play Arena In the United States" as seen in last weekend's WSJ.
posted by horsemuth at 3:48 PM on August 4, 2008


That is cool. Love the little bulldozer cursor especially.
posted by Capt Jingo at 3:54 PM on August 4, 2008




My housemate's brother went here for his stag do. Diggerland > Stripper in a cake.
posted by muthecow at 4:01 PM on August 4, 2008


Obligatory The Warriors quote:

CAN YOU DIG IT?
posted by bwg at 4:04 PM on August 4, 2008


Fucking hipsters. If there's a silver lining to the imminent collapse of the western economy...
posted by Naberius


Do you need a map? I think you stumbled into the wrong thread.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 4:12 PM on August 4, 2008


With the dying housing market pretty much putting an end to the need for holes in the ground, this makes perfect sense.
posted by tommasz at 4:12 PM on August 4, 2008


IANAL, but I see a lawsuit in their future.
posted by Mental Wimp at 4:14 PM on August 4, 2008


Apaches: When Diggerland goes horribly, horribly wrong.
posted by pxe2000 at 4:21 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


It's like something from Father Ted's Craggy Island.
posted by Monkeymoo at 4:24 PM on August 4, 2008


Cooool! My fave youthful vacation spot would have been called Mythbusterland though, where I could just spend all summer making and blowing stuff up.... and then I would drive a big tractor from Diggerland and cover up the debris..... and then blow that up again. Every night would be filled with sweet sweet dreams and the smell of cordite. Bliss.
posted by elendil71 at 4:32 PM on August 4, 2008


We are not only there already, we are digging the shit UP.
posted by gottabefunky at 4:45 PM on August 4, 2008




One of the branches is near where I live. I wondered if it was established in the 1800s as Shovel-Land.
posted by raygirvan at 4:54 PM on August 4, 2008


Fucking hipsters.
posted by sir_rubixalot at 4:57 PM on August 4, 2008


between this and Alton Towers, the US has nothing on UK as far as theme parks go.
posted by Shebear at 5:22 PM on August 4, 2008


bit of exclamation mark inflation going on up in here
posted by bonaldi at 5:25 PM on August 4, 2008


A few years ago, our local library sponsored a "truck petting zoo." Local businesses just parked their trucks and construction equipment there and let the kids climb on them. It was pretty awesome. Diggerland, however, rates much higher on the awesomometer.
posted by jrossi4r at 6:36 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


Yeah, that's small potatoes. I want a ride on one of these!
posted by sandking at 7:27 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


liquidindian: "Forget everything else - this post was worth it for the Diggerland theme tune."

Damn skippy.

I found comfort knowing that totally cheeseball theme-park jingles exist on that side of the Atlantic, as well.
posted by NikitaNikita at 7:33 PM on August 4, 2008


Well, for those of you trying to figure out why this would be "fun" for children...

I'm a librarian - and believe me, almost 95% of the little boys want "BIG TWUCK BOOKS!"
posted by bradth27 at 9:33 PM on August 4, 2008


Just rent a bobcat from the local rent-all-- A diggerland-staycation.*
posted by acro at 9:47 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


Here in beautiful Orem, Utah we have a small carnival-esque amusment park that just opened called "Patriot Land." It has a replica of Mt. Rushmore with a kiddy coaster running through it. I wish I had pictures.
posted by mecran01 at 10:16 PM on August 4, 2008


Apologies for correcting you on your own location, but it's called Liberty Land. Here's a YouTube video.
posted by raygirvan at 1:35 AM on August 5, 2008


My husband, son, and I just went to Diggerland. Nice to see it on the blue! It's a bit of a bait and switch in that very littles (my son is <2) aren't allowed many of the rides, even with their parents, but he's tall, so we lied.

I was bored stupid, but the husband and son had a great time.
posted by marmot at 5:44 AM on August 5, 2008


I know everyone here has seen the Simpsons: Doesn't this look like something Patty and Salma would have on vacation slides? On a side note, yes I would love to go to dinnerland, where everyday is all you can eat steak and crab..... rapped in bacon!
posted by Mastercheddaar at 5:59 AM on August 5, 2008


My wife would love this. She gets excited whenever we see a Ditch Witch.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 6:15 AM on August 5, 2008 [1 favorite]


between this and Alton Towers, the US has nothing on UK as far as theme parks go.
posted by Shebear

Shebear, have you actually been to US amusement parks, and Alton Towers?? I am fairly certain you have not, else you'd not be making such a statement. Alton Towers is built nice. The place has beauty, and the castle is authentic. They have some rides that try, real hard, to be good, and some succeed, a little. But I can think of only one American park I've been that is not vastly superior (the one just outside DC, the name escapes me). More like Cedar Point, in the old days, before they built Gemini, only more technology. I hear there are regulations that don't permit them to build rides that are tall (except, apparently, in Blackpool, where the Pepsi Max kicked my ass). The results are very disappointing. Mind, my view is entirely about the rides. I can't fault Alton Towers for general pleasantness.

As for Diggerland: Oh shit. My partner will insist on going.
posted by Goofyy at 6:48 AM on August 5, 2008


God I love that damned Nizlopi track. Nothing reduces me to tears quicker than that song. I can't believe we just missed out on getting it to xmas number one all those years back.
posted by longbaugh at 7:25 AM on August 5, 2008


When I was very young those machines were so call, and the highest compliment I could pay friends and relatives was to call them a "Big Digger".

It seemed like a compliment at the time, anyhow.

As I sit here and type in my anonymous airconditioned office taking a break from writing an internal corporate document nobody will read, part of me still wishes I'd become a JCB driver. Maybe when I hit my mid life crisis I'll trade the blonde mistress and the Porsche for a shiny orange digger.
posted by MuffinMan at 9:24 AM on August 5, 2008


Shebear, have you actually been to US amusement parks, and Alton Towers??

Yes, I have been to Alton Towers and to many American amusement parks, and I was actually being sarcastic with that remark. Sorry, guess I didn't communicate that very well...
posted by Shebear at 12:57 PM on August 5, 2008


I noticed in the link pictures of skid steer loaders. I went to high school with two Melroe cousins, from the family that manufactured the original Melroe Bobcat. Insufferable assholes both, but what a cool product. I got to use them when I worked construction during the year I took off from college and later when I was building a small office building with a college chum. My youngest brother bought one to work on his property in the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota, atop Higgins Gulch in the shadow of Crow Peak. Gawd those things are fun!
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:29 PM on August 5, 2008


I went there several weeks ago-
I thought I was able to get some Little Jimmy's Italian Ice at their snack shop but it wasn't there -- Oh well!
posted by bahstahd at 6:29 PM on August 5, 2008


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