The Thing Is One Of The Strangest Places You Can Go In Arizona
If you’ve lived in Arizona for any significant amount of time, you’ve probably heard of “The Thing.” What exactly is it? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see – just know it’s one of the strangest places you can go in the Grand Canyon State.
From El Paso all the way to Tucson, billboards advertising "The Thing" beckon travelers to stop and discover what the big mystery is about. You can find out by taking Exit 322 between Benson and Wilcox.
Perhaps the most well-known tourist attraction in Arizona, The Thing is unassuming as can be. Located in a middle-of-nowhere gas station, it would be easy to pass up if not for the nearly constant, 300-mile hype.
Upon stepping inside, your anticipation like a pot about to boil over, an extraterrestrial being stands guard just beyond the doorway. Behind him, a barrage of unique items leaves you not knowing quite where to look first.
The first exhibit you'll walk through is a relatively new addition, installed after The Thing came under new ownership in 2018. It involves dinosaurs and aliens, linking the latter to a number of historically significant events.
After meandering through 12,000 square feet of oddities, you'll finally come upon the main attraction. "The Thing" is a mummified mother and child, perhaps of either Chinese or Native American descent, who died between the late 1880s and early 1900s. Various theories have attempted to give them a story, but nothing has ever been proven.
You'll also see a vast array of objects ranging from handcrafted Native American artifacts and jewelry to a vintage American automobile from the 1930s to kitschy souvenirs and everything in-between. You could easily spend hours perusing all the interesting objects.
Katie Lawrence is a Southeast Texas native who graduated 18th in her high school class with a GPA of 4.25. She attended college in the Houston area and changed her major twice (psychology, computer science, and finally criminal justice) before taking a leap of faith and dropping out to pursue a career in freelance writing.
Today, Katie writes for the Texas and Arizona pages of OnlyInYourState.com and has never been more passionate about a job before. Outside of work, you can likely find her curled up on the sofa with a hot cup of coffee, watching a crime TV show or scary movie.
