Places We Go: Digging Park

I almost hesitate to gush too much about the Digging Park (known to most as the Natural Play Area at Pioneers Park Nature Center) because it truly is one of Lincoln’s best kept secrets, and there’s part of me that wants to keep it a secret. Truth be told, though, I think there’s some kind of space-time warp because it seems that I talk to plenty of people who know about it and love playing there and yet eight or nine times out of ten, we have the place to ourselves. In the two years since we first discovered it, we have spent more happy hours than I could possibly count digging, building, splashing (well, not so much splashing).

Our primary activity most days, as you might have guessed, is digging. There is a huge sandbox (or dirtbox, more accurately), and you don’t even have to bring your own tools. They have plenty of shovels, rakes, trowels, yogurt containers, and those whatchamacalits, the plastic things that go under plants to catch water. And sticks. You do have to bring your own snacks, though.

Beyond the digging area, there are also bunches of other things to explore, including a stage, a fort, a great big fallen log, a table with chairs made of stumps, and lots of open spaces filled with bugs and plants and rocks and sticks and whatnot. In terms of opportunities for unstructured play, the place is a jackpot.

One of the things that I appreciate most about the Digging Park is that it works for all ages. Ian is as happy digging and stacking wood blocks as Simon is jumping off the benches and climbing through the log. And I’ve found that we can easily spend two to three hours at a time once or twice a week without the kids even approaching boredom with the place. It seems to keep us busy longer than playground-type parks (though we like those a lot too).

Another bonus in my book is that there’s always plenty of shade. I hate, hate, hate the heat of midsummer in Nebraska, and if I’m going to be outside then, it’s more bearable at the Digging Park than it is most other places.

We haven’t done much exploring around the rest of the Nature Center, but I understand there is a whole network of paths. Perhaps this summer if Ian decides he’s going to learn to walk, we’ll venture onto them as well.

Visitor Information: The Nature Center is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

More Digging Park photos here.