It doesn’t matter how old you get or how mature you appear; everyone remembers playing in the sandbox. And for some adults, pretending to fill that toy dump truck or backhoe’s bucket with sand are some of childhood’s fondest memories. But we grow up and those dreams become distant memories.

Well, get ready to reconnect with your inner child in a big way at Dig This, an attraction that lets you operate either a bulldozer or an excavator in all sorts of fun, challenging ways. For beginners, the excavator is generally preferred.

After a brief introduction to your machine of choice, you’re given a reflective vest and escorted to your cab and given the keys and a helmet with an attached microphone so you can talk with both your instructor and your fellow enthusiasts. Every cab is air-conditioned, so don’t worry about those summer temperatures.

If you choose the excavator, you’ll spend the next hour getting the feel of the controls, first digging large holes (and trust us; you’ll dig big holes fast!) and then moving onto a pile of tires. Your task? Move the tires one by one from one side of the dirt arena to the other, stacking them just as you found them.

Once you’ve mastered the art of tire stacking, get ready for some basketball. That’s right: Parking your vehicle at a raised angle on a dirt incline, you have to finesse a series of basketballs into the excavator’s bucket, scoring baskets by dropping the balls into a nearby tire. With enough patience, you’ll be scoring points in no time. Don’t be surprised to find your competitive nature emerging during this segment.

One thing the instructors at Dig This have noticed in their customers over the years is that everyone starts out very chatty and conversational, but as the experience progresses and they begin to understand their machines, they talk very little.

And that’s really the whole point of Dig This—it’s a perfect chance to escape your normal life and disappear completely into an experience you’ve dreamed about since you were young. Excited yet?

3012 S. Rancho Drive, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, prices vary, 8+, 702.222.4344