BY ASIA ARMOUR
The park features two skid steer tracks, and skid steers can be operated either solo or with a parent.
FIRST LOOK
Owner Jacob Robinson got the idea for Dig World from his son, who loves trucks, excavators and skid steers. (Photos by Asia Armour/Community Impact Newspaper)
DigWorld Amusement park brings construction-themed experience to Katy D ig World is a construction-themed amuse- ment park that opened in mid-March as the rst of its kind in Texas. Located in Katy, it on this over the next fewmonths.” Additionally, the park o ers employment opportu- nities and partners with local schools, Robinson said. Students at Texas A&MUniversity helped Dig World develop a hands-on eld trip curriculum to educate
Visitors can sift through sand to nd gems at the gemmining station.
There is a lot to learn, dig, drive, move and explore at Dig World. Here are some quick facts about the park’s features. CONSTRUCTION SIGHTS
8 attractions 8 mini-excavators, or “dirt diggers” 7 mini-excavators for the Mini-Ex Games
1 UTV
is strategically plotted in an outside area of Katy Mills mall and within sight of Typhoon Texas water park. Kids of all ages can safely operate real skid steers, utility terrain vehicles and excavators by themselves or with assistance from a parent or guardian. The park also has attractions, such as a gemmining station, a turf eld with games such as TowerBall and cornhole, and a playground on its 3.5 acres of land. Owner and creator Jacob Robinson and his family are all fromKaty, which is why he chose it for Dig World’s rst location, he said. Robinson credits his 6-year-old son, who is nonverbal and in a wheelchair, as his inspiration behind creating the park. “Ever since [I can] remember, [my son] has loved trucks and garbage trucks and excavators and skid steers,” he said. “So the idea of him and kids like him on machines was something that we just latched on to and said, ‘We have got to get it done.’” This also in uenced Robinson to build Dig World with accessibility in mind. “You can get around the park with a wheelchair and/or device,” he said. “Individuals with disabilities might need assistance getting in and out of the machines for the time being, [but] we will be working
5 skid steers 2 skid steer tracks
students on the construction industry, he said. “An unknown fact about the industry is the wide variety of jobs that are in that space, and they are all equally important,” he said. “There is anything from technology to eld work. Kids need to be able to see that and know that that opportunity is out there.” On Dig World’s opening day March 17, there were so many occupants that the wait time for machines was 30-40 minutes, which far exceeds Robinson’s service goals to have a ve-minute wait time for rides, he said. To accommodate the park’s tra c, Robinson closed Dig World its rst weekend to bring more of his machines online and adjust their settings for safety. Robinson said he remains positive about the
2 Mini-Ex Games
DigWorld 5000 Katy Mills Circle, Katy 346-435-8888 www.digworldtx.com Hours: Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. noon-6 p.m., closed Mon.-Fri.
KATY MILLS PKWY.
BRAND BUSINESS your WITH STICKIES Exclusive front cover placement • Targeted mailbox delivery • Competitive pricing experience. Though he had to close for a few days, he said his main goal to bring enjoyment and bonding experiences to families in Katy was accomplished. “I’m choosing to chalk it up to what we saw yesterday is kids having a great time,” he said. “We saw smiles. We sawmemories being made.”
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