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Las Vegas is full of over-the-top experiences, and operating real construction equipment definitely fits the bill. Dig This is a 5-acre “heavy equipment playground” where visitors can take control of heavy machinery like excavators and bulldozers. My husband and I tried out the Big Dig Excavators on our most recent Las Vegas trip, and here is my honest review on whether it’s worth it.
Booking
We booked the 90 minute Big Dig Excavators experience directly on their website. The standard price is $329/person, but we took advantage of a holiday sale in December and bought two Holiday Big Dig Excavator gift cards for a total of $488 (~30% discount). If it weren’t for the discount, I would’ve booked on Viator which offers free cancellation.
Getting There
Dig This is a 20-minute drive from the Strip. The check-in is in a warehouse-style building with restrooms and lockers. After a short safety video and a demo, we were suited up in construction vests and given 3-way headsets so we could communicate with each other and the instructor.
The Experience
The 90-minute session was split into three main activities after we learned the basics (like doing a “push-up” by pressing the claw into the dirt to lift the machine).
Digging Trenches
The instructor guided us verbally from a high chair a few feet away. Digging only involved raising the claw, opening it, and closing it — straightforward enough to pick up quickly. It was a decent way to get comfortable with the machine, but it grew boring after a few digs.
Stacking Tires
After about 20 minutes of digging, we drove the excavators over to the tire area. Each of us had four tires stacked in a 2-1-1 formation, and the goal was to move them one by one to the other side and re-stack them. The instructor walked us through the first tire, then we were on our own. Unlike digging trenches, this required both working the claw and actually driving and turning the excavator which made it more engaging. The first tire was the learning curve, but once you figure out the controls there’s not a ton of variation.
Playing Basketball
This was my favorite game and the most challenging. We parked our excavators on a slight hill, with three basketballs on cones nearby. The goal was to pick them up one by one and drop them into a tire at the back. The instructor coached us through the first ball, then let us do the rest.
Picking up the basketball was surprisingly hard — you had to line the claw up precisely with the bottom of the ball. On my second attempt, I accidentally knocked it off the cone and didn’t get a retry, which I wish they had told me upfront so I could’ve been more careful. I succeeded on the third, while my husband sank both of his.
Wrap-up
Once we finished the last game, the instructor invited us to spin the excavator around. I skipped this one because I am prone to motion sickness, but my husband enjoyed it. We then headed back inside, received certificates for completing the experience, and the instructor showed us the photos he’d taken and offered to sell them.
Tips
- Wear sun protection and bring water — there’s no shade out there.
- The excavators are supposed to have AC, but mine was off and it got uncomfortably hot until I said something. The instructor mentioned that some customers never speak up and end up sweating through the whole experience. Worth flagging immediately if yours feels warm.
- Take your own photos and videos throughout. I stopped early assuming the instructor’s shots were included, only to find out that they cost extra at the end.
Verdict
Dig This Las Vegas is a genuinely unique experience, but one I wouldn’t do again. The stacking tires and basketball games were fun, but the trench digging dragged on longer than it needed to. At $244/person even after a 30% discount, you’re paying a premium for roughly 45 minutes of the actually enjoyable parts.
The three-way headset setup also took a toll on the social experience. Having the instructor on the line the whole time made conversation with my husband feel oddly monitored — less like a fun activity we were sharing and more like a supervised lesson.
If you’re a machinery enthusiast or bringing kids who’d love this kind of thing, it might be exactly right for you. For us, it was a fun novelty that didn’t quite live up to its price tag.
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