What Dig This is
Dig This started in 2007 when a New Zealand-born builder realised that a lot of adults secretly want to drive the machines they watched as children. The concept is simple: a fenced dirt lot, a fleet of full-size Caterpillar excavators and bulldozers, and a set of guided activities that let a complete beginner operate them safely. You get a briefing, a radio headset and a dedicated instructor who talks you through every lever from a safe distance while you dig trenches, build mounds, push earth, stack giant tyres or play "excavator basketball" by dropping a ball into a hoop with the bucket.
It is not a simulator and it is not a kiddie ride. The excavators are 15-ton machines with real hydraulics, and by the end of an hour most people have a genuine feel for the controls and a slightly stunned grin. It has become one of the standard unusual things to do in Las Vegas — a fixture on bachelor weekends, corporate team days and the itineraries of people who have done the shows and want something they cannot do at home. It appears in our things to do besides gambling guide for exactly that reason.
The sessions and what you actually do
- Excavator experience. The signature session. After the briefing you climb into the cab, learn the two joysticks (one controls the boom and bucket curl, the other the stick and swing) and work through set tasks: dig a trench and back-fill it, build a mound, move tyres onto posts, and finish with the basketball challenge. Around 60 to 90 minutes in the seat.
- Bulldozer experience. A different feel — pushing and grading with a blade rather than reaching and lifting. You drive a course, build berms and push mounds. Same length.
- Combo. Both machines back to back, typically three hours or so.
- Mini sessions. Shorter taster slots and a mini-excavator for younger operators appear at times; check the official site.
- Aggression sessions. Crushing cars with the excavator is offered as a premium add-on for those who want a demolition finale.
Every session is one person per machine with a one-to-one instructor on the radio; groups rotate through several machines in parallel.
Prices, hours and booking
As of 2026, the standard excavator or bulldozer session has generally been in the $200 to $350 range per person, the combo package $400 to $600, and the car-crushing add-on priced on top. Shorter taster sessions, when available, come in lower. That is not cheap for 90 minutes, but it is one machine, one instructor and a lot of diesel per person, and satisfaction is high. Check the official site for current pricing; online booking is required in practice, since sessions are scheduled and walk-ups rarely fit.
Sessions run through the day starting in the morning; the last slot of the day is late afternoon, adjusted seasonally. In summer the first morning slot is strongly recommended — the cabs are air-conditioned, but the briefing and the walking between machines are in full sun. Rain days are rare, but a proper storm can close the lot; wind does not. Cancellation policies are strict, so book only when your plans are fixed. Groups of six or more should book well ahead and ask about private sessions.
Age, size and other rules
The published pattern has been a minimum age of around 14 for the full-size machines, with a guardian signing for under-18s, and a minimum height so that operators can reach the pedals and see over the dash; a mini-excavator programme for younger children has run at times. Confirm current limits on the official site before booking for teenagers. There is no maximum age — the machines do not require strength, only attention — and plenty of 70-year-olds book it.
No experience or licence is needed. Pregnant visitors and people with serious back or neck conditions are advised against it because of cab vibration; ask in advance. You must be sober — the same rule as every activity involving heavy machinery — and the staff will refuse anyone who is not. Closed-toe shoes are mandatory; you will be walking on dirt and climbing into cabs. Accessibility is limited by the cab climb, but the operators have accommodated some mobility issues with advance notice.
Who it suits and how long it takes
It suits almost everyone who is curious about it: adults who grew up with toy diggers, teenagers who need something physical after two days of walking the Strip, groups looking for an activity that does not involve a bar, and couples who want a story to tell. Confident drivers and gamers pick up the joystick logic quickly; hesitant operators are talked through it at their own pace. It is a surprisingly good gift experience because the pleasure is not about speed or danger, just the deep satisfaction of moving several tons of dirt exactly where you meant to.
Allow two hours for a single session and about four for the combo, including check-in, the safety briefing, gearing up and the return to your hotel. Water, sunscreen and a hat are essential from May to October. It is not a spectator sport — watching for 90 minutes on a dirt lot is dull — so non-participants should plan something else nearby rather than waiting.
Getting there and combos
Dig This operates on a lot a few minutes from the Strip; the location has moved over the years, so use the address on your booking confirmation rather than an old map pin. It is a $10 to $20 rideshare from most Strip hotels as of 2026 and a short drive for anyone with a car, with free parking on site. Public transport is not practical. See rideshare and taxis for how to set a pick-up on an industrial street where the app pin drifts.
Natural pairings are the other adrenaline experiences: a morning at Dig This, an afternoon at an exotic car track, dinner at a steakhouse. Groups on a bachelor weekend often do it as the hangover-cure activity on day two: physical, outdoors, sober and finished by noon. Families with teenagers can pair it with the Pinball Hall of Fame or AREA15 for the afternoon.
Tips
- Book the first slot of the day, especially May to October.
- Wear clothes you do not mind getting dusty and closed shoes with grip; the cab steps are steel.
- Listen to the instructor on the radio — the tasks are sequenced to teach the controls, and rushing the trench means fumbling the basketball.
- Bring sunglasses and leave the phone in your pocket in the cab; the operators will shoot photos and video from outside if you ask.
- Take the combo only if you have the time and budget; the excavator alone is the highlight for most people.
- Hydrate before, not just after. An air-conditioned cab on a 105-degree day is still a workout in concentration.
