Location: 2631 North Johnson Road, Dragoon, Arizona.
Blog Date: 01/19/2022 Visited Date: 09/28/2021
All Content is Copyright Larry Nader Photography & Art 2020-2022
Roughly 17-miles east of Benson off Interstate 10 (exit 322) in the remote area of Texas Canyon, is Bowlin's The Thing Museum. A definite throwback to a day gone by, this roadside attraction was very entertaining for a quick break from the road. It was a definite flashback to my youth and the roadside attractions we came across when driving on vacation.
Located with the Shell gas station immediately off this exit and tucked away in the back of the souvenir store, you will find The Thing Museum. We paid our admission and went in really expecting it to be lame, given the very reasonable admission price, but we were happily surprised. The whole museum is based on the premise of what if. In this case, what if aliens have always been among us?
As you make your way through the museum, reading the storyboards that accompanied the displays, you will be led through a whole story of how aliens have lived among us since the beginning of time and through the current day. At the end of the self-guided tour, you will enter a separate room on your way out of the museum. It is in this room that you will see “The Thing” itself. I won’t go into more detail as you will want to experience it in person. It kind of brought out my inner kid but it would have been so much more enjoyable if I had my young nephews with us as well. It really should be a must-see for families traveling through the area or anyone that enjoys the odd roadside attraction.
The museum was originally owned by Thomas Binkley Prince. A former lawyer from Phoenix, Prince would purchase “The Thing” itself in the mid-1900s, and quickly developed a tourist stop and museum to house the oddly strange exhibit and other collected items of his.
"The Thing" was created by Homer Tate who was famous for producing sideshow gaffes. Based out of Phoenix, Tate produced a variety of curiosities like faux shrunken heads.
The original museum was very similar to an old circus sideshow and was set in a series of three metal buildings that were open to the elements. Today the center is operated by Bowlin Travel Centers and, despite its very remote location, has been very popular and has even been listed in several tourist guides in addition to being featured in news stories. If you have traveled anywhere within 60 miles of this place and you have surely seen the large number of billboards that help the attraction pull in its visitors.
In August 2018, the Bowlin Travel Centers unveiled a new modern museum building and other updates housing their collection and oddities, in some order or theme. The new owners have also added a new alien and dinosaur theme that visitors first encounter upon entering the museum. In addition to the upgrades, the cost of admission has also increased to $5 per person or $10 per family, which is extremely reasonable by today’s standards.
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