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Houston, grab your hard hats. 

Dig World, the first heavy construction equipment-themed amusement park in Texas, opens Thursday in Katy. It was originally scheduled to open in the fall of 2021, but got pushed back due to weather and other various project delays, founder Jacob Robinson said via email.

Spanning more than 3.5 acres adjacent to Katy Mills Mall, the adventure park offers various courses for kids and adults to safely operate real heavy construction equipment, including full-size caterpillar mini-excavators, skid steers and UTVs through a partnership with Mustang Cat. 

Jacob Robinson, founder, is shown at Dig World, a construction themed adventure park, Monday, March 14, 2022, in Katy. Dig World opens March 17 at Katy Mills Mall, 5000 Katy Mills Circle.

Dig World's other attractions include a gem-mining station, a playground and a turf field with games like cornhole and TowerBall. The park will also host group events including corporate outings, birthday parties, and field trips, according to a release.

Texas A&M's Department of Construction Science is partnering with Dig World to educate Texans on the construction industry. 

“We wanted to build something that kids and families could enjoy, creating the best and most unique consumer experience in Texas,” Robinson said.

But the park will also dig deeper with plans to build 10 more locations throughout the U.S. over the next few years.

The park operates on two-hour time reservations, with online ticket purchases for a desired time slot. Reserve your ticket and time at digworldtx.com.

Monique Welch is a digital reporter for the Houston Chronicle. 

Monique reports on the trendiest news within the greater Houston region and across Texas, and occasionally contributes to the Chronicle's race and identity newsletter, HouWeAre. A native Baltimorean and previous Tampa resident, Monique joined the Chronicle in the summer of 2021 after nearly four years at the Tampa Bay Times where she worked on all things digital, launched the newspaper's first race and identity newsletter, Regarding Race, and covered local news. Monique holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications Media Studies from Goucher College.