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the thing arizona

What is “The Thing”?

The Thing is the Mystery of the Desert, or at least according to the some 250 billboards for 200 miles lining Arizona’s I-10 highway.  The yellow signs repeat themselves over and over, taunting you to visit and the irresistible urge to stop, becomes overwhelming.  We totally caved and paid the whopping $1 fee to check out this incredibly kitschy tourist site.

The tour starts with a walk through a creepy door where you follow yellow footprints to a series of tin shacks.   The shacks house some odd and interesting things from old torture devices to an old Rolls Royce supposedly sat in by Adolf Hitler to some weird farm equipment.  I’m not sure if any of it is legit but either way, I was intrigued!  It has a tourist trap sideshow vibe going on, and considering it has been around since 1965…I would say its working.

You want to know what “it” is.  Well, there isn’t a lot of information and the sideshow tourist trap likes it that way.  They prefer to let you wonder for yourself.  If you ask a clerk where it came from, they’ll tell you the legends and leave you to decide for yourself.

As for what I thought of “The Thing?”  It’s a great way to stretch your legs and take a break from the road, just don’t go in with too many expectations.

The thing is located in Dragoon, AZ at 1-10 and Johnson Road. Exit 322. (Not that the hundreds of billboards won’t let you know that you are close!)

Famous for my "how-not-to" videos, and typically the man behind the camera, sometimes I’m forced to be here in the “spotlight”. When you see my face you’re probably reading something more technical than adventurous, but either way I do my best to tell it like it is and infuse my opinions into the commentary…after all this is a blog and not MSN.

Comments (8)

  • We stopped there years ago and lost our smashed penny in subsequent moves, I can’t wait to go back and get a new one; I can’t even remember what “the thing” actually is!

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  • David Gardner

    Hey guys, we just got to stop by and see it today. Definitely worth the stop and the $1 to get in! And, Dairy Queen after was a nice treat too.

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  • Lisa

    I am so glad that you didn’t ruin it for everyone. When my son was 2 years old I took him there and when we left he kept going on and on about “the big ugly spider”. He sang “the big ugly spider” to the tune of “the itsy bitty spider” for the longest time after.
    We live in Phoenix and talk about that time often now.
    Good luck on the rest of your ventures.

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  • Teased

    Yoweee! Just gotta see it! Amazing! Just how did you survive? Such an intro… And you still have a Smile? hA!
    Thanks for sharing! :>

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