DIG

Dig is brilliant! Ellie was our guide and was so engaging with our very hyperactive, neurodiverse child. She kept him engaged and ran the session fast enough to keep his interest, which is so rare in most adults. Special thanks to Ellie! They have a sensory box which was a most welcome support during the talk. We adults learned a lot too and really enjoyed ourselves. Definitely a must for a family visit to York!

As a follow up to Jorvik, we decided we'd give DIG a go and it's the addition to any family tour of York. While Jorvik was more exhibitive, DIG offers a bit more of a mixed approach with both exhibition and hands on combined. Greeted at the door by the friendliest archeologist we were invited to join an interactive talk about the importance of artifacts in the pursuit of our largely undocumented past. As we are a exceptionally nosey family we ask lots of questions, none of which were turned down. Following the talk we were invited into the dig-site where we were equipped with trowels to soft through the recreated plots of archeology. I won't spoil it too much but it was tons of fun for all ages and there were archeologists on hand to explain the discoveries you make along the way. The rest of the experience is exhibition based on the whole, with some interactive stations throughout. It does offer a varied and fascinating insight into the recovery of history. Naturally there is reference to the Viking era but there was also a wide range of artifacts from throughout history. There's a small gift shop, public toilets and a small gardened area featuring some of the original church masonry that has been replaced in recent times. Our Daughter was 9 at the time of visit and felt like the perfect age to be captivated by everything going on. We probably spent around 75 minutes at DIG in total.

What a fantastic spot! Located inside an old church, which adds to the charm. We had a tour with one other family, which let our kids have a lot of hands on time. Our guide was very knowledgeable (didn’t get his name…older gentleman with a mustache/beard. Very lively guy!). He really made archeology come alive for the kids. I have a feeling he has some kind of background because his passion and information was far beyond what you would expect. The first half of the tour is learning time with some artifacts being passed on. The second half is digging time! The kids went nuts. They had a blast. Our guide was bouncing back and forth telling them about what they were finding and what it meant. Super fun. Great activity and especially great if you have a rainy day.

We visited last week and all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The staff were welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable. We visited as part of our York Pass and the kids (aged 4 & 7) loved it. Glad we gave it a go!

Good visit. Very interactive talk that engaged kids before we started digging. Bit disappointed it was all artifical digging, my kids were hoping to dig treasure (pot, bones etc) they could then take home but no opportunity for that here. Displays were interesting. Staff were very knowledgeable and entertaining. 1 hour was almost too long, we could have left after 30mins. Might be a better activity for younger children, my 11yr old was too old and 8yr old was borderline.

Amazing experience, we learned so much and my girls loved everything. We had also the opportunity to build a shield, and Alex was amazing, teaching step by step. Thanks Alex, you made my girls day and they are still talking about their new skills.

Very fun. Jenny was very knowledgeable and great with the kids. They had a great time digging!

I took my daughter who loves history and archaeological things. The staff were welcoming and enthusiastic about the artefacts and exhibits. Sharon was our 'tour guide', and she was happy to answer our questions about the exhibits she was showing us. It's a very small exhibition but interesting and my daughter enjoyed scraping around in the artificial dig plots that represented different time periods