Tucked away within a rest stop in Benson, Arizona, is… a thing. Well, it’s not just a thing, it’s The Thing. What is it? We suppose you’ll just have to come in and see it for yourself, but beware – you may not be able to handle it. When it comes to offbeat roadside attractions in Arizona, it doesn’t get a whole lot stranger than, well, it. 

It begins with the signs. There are hundreds of them.

Blaze G/TripAdvisor …and they stretch for miles, from Texas to California and beyond. Colored a brilliant, bright yellow with navy-blue text asking, simply, THE THING?, the signs somehow manage to entice you to come closer.

Eventually, no matter where you’re coming from, you’ll arrive at a remote area of Arizona called the Texas Canyon.

Management/TripAdvisor You find the gas station - painted the exact same blue-on-yellow as the billboards you followed here - on its own, surrounded by desert on all sides. Hey, even if it’s nothing, at least there’s ice cream here.

From the moment you walk in, you get the feeling that you’re in for something weird.

NYU62/TripAdvisor …and boy, are you ever.

It’s about to get real weird in here. When it comes to roadside attractions in Arizona… this one is probably the strangest.

Wyldecamp/TripAdvisor You pay the (very) small fee to enter the museum and are confronted by all sorts of oddities and high strangeness, from aliens and dinosaurs to, ultimately, the main attraction. The mystery of the desert. The Thing.

What is The Thing?

Bowlin’s The Thing/Facebook Well, if we told you, visiting wouldn’t be any fun, now, would it?

What we will tell you is this: The Thing has been around for ages, and it’s not going away any time soon.

Bowlin’s The Thing/Facebook This rest stop and ultra-bizarre tourist destination was originally owned by a man named Thomas Binkley Prince. In 2018 - relatively recently - the entire museum got a facelift, as the gas station it has grown into upgraded the facilities. What used to be an open-air, small-time sideshow has grown into what it is now: an intriguing (and totally fun) leap into a surreal world where anything is possible.

It’s pretty hard to miss The Thing. After all, the signs only extend for hundreds of miles.

melwashere81/TripAdvisor You’ll stumble upon it if, should you find yourself on Interstate 10 in southern Arizona, you take Exit 322 and follow the signs. When you’re there… you’ll know.

So, what do you think? Have you ever experienced IT? Do us a favor, though, and don’t say what IT is in the comments – don’t spoil the fun! After all, the mystery is a part of that fun, and we don’t want to ruin it for anyone, right?

Blaze G/TripAdvisor

…and they stretch for miles, from Texas to California and beyond. Colored a brilliant, bright yellow with navy-blue text asking, simply, THE THING?, the signs somehow manage to entice you to come closer.

Management/TripAdvisor

You find the gas station - painted the exact same blue-on-yellow as the billboards you followed here - on its own, surrounded by desert on all sides. Hey, even if it’s nothing, at least there’s ice cream here.

NYU62/TripAdvisor

…and boy, are you ever.

Wyldecamp/TripAdvisor

You pay the (very) small fee to enter the museum and are confronted by all sorts of oddities and high strangeness, from aliens and dinosaurs to, ultimately, the main attraction. The mystery of the desert. The Thing.

Bowlin’s The Thing/Facebook

Well, if we told you, visiting wouldn’t be any fun, now, would it?

This rest stop and ultra-bizarre tourist destination was originally owned by a man named Thomas Binkley Prince. In 2018 - relatively recently - the entire museum got a facelift, as the gas station it has grown into upgraded the facilities. What used to be an open-air, small-time sideshow has grown into what it is now: an intriguing (and totally fun) leap into a surreal world where anything is possible.

melwashere81/TripAdvisor

You’ll stumble upon it if, should you find yourself on Interstate 10 in southern Arizona, you take Exit 322 and follow the signs. When you’re there… you’ll know.

Want some more Arizona oddities in your life? You might want to consider this epic haunted Arizona road trip.

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Address: Bowlin’s The Thing Travel Center, 2631 N Johnson Rd, Benson, AZ 85602, USA