Bowlin’s The Thing?

You ready for cheesy (and I’m not talking about the kind dribbling down on your nachos)? Campy, outdated, and weird? It’s all here. Note: this review will not contain a spoiler. If you are prepared to see the Thing, you must see it yourself.
Also, first rule of The Thing: we do not talk about the Thing. If you see it, you cannot tell a virgin what the Thing is. It’s the unwritten rule.
But along the way, enjoy oddities. A car driven by Hitler? Ancient materials, artifacts, curiosities, insects, and various cars and tools and art. it’s all there. And only costs you a buck. I’ll drive out here just to show someone the Thing. Is that crazy? Well, yeah, but I like the weird and bizarre, and it’s a nice place to shop for stupid stuff and use the bathroom and maybe get a Blizzard at DQ. Expect much else for a buck? Don’t. But make an adventure of it.

So here I am at 6:50am looking at the employees through the window just standing around drinking coffee and they won’t open the door. Apparently money isn’t a concern before the 7am posted opening time. I get it, but it’s not as if they’re busy, they’re literally just socializing. I just put almost $ 60 into my gas tank too. They should put their hours on the 40 different billboards I passed on the highway, and maybe have a bathroom available like every other gas station.

Only gave a 5 star so it will be seen. I have never in my life been so irritated by a gas station. Who puts a lock on a pump then does not put an out of order sign on it? Then when you go to pre pay gas they allow you to pay for gas on a pump that is out of order. Then they could not figure out how to give my money back, could hardly figure out how to move the money to another pump. DO NOT BUY GAS HERE! I will never stop here again unless it means getting stranded without fuel.

Rude service. Got there at 6:58 just to use the bathroom since the rest area was closed. They locked the door as we walked up. I asked if could just use the toliet and was rudely told they were being cleaned. Heartless!

It is a fun stop and worth the dollar. It had a lot of roadside signs. The staff is very nice and friendly. We loved the shop, had a lot of great stuff. The thing attraction was good and a blast from the past.

Gets points for being entirely constructed out of its own reputation and nothing else. Also for being cheap to see. Kind of a fun little roadside attraction stop, all in all.

Fun. Had to go after they had so many signs. a Bucks worth of fun. And they have a penny smash souvenir machine

Roadside attraction. Did I say I’m a sucker for roadside attractions. You see signs for «The Thing» north of Pichaco Peak to the west and at the New Mexico border to the east. A gas station and tourist trap in the middle of nowhere on the 10 about 90mins east of Tucson. Ol’ Ralph must have had a lot of time on his hands for collecting stuff and carving/​painting tree roots. I guess no cable access back in the day. Anyways plan on about an hour to do the tour (a minimally curated exhibit of «stuff» and gift shop. There’s also gas and a DQ for your travel needs. Everybody has to see «The Thing» at least once in their life.

A lot of souvenirs to choose from and great store manager and maintenance man. Our car battery died they both took the time to help us out they went as far as even offering us a free pair of jumper cables for the rest of our trip; as for The Thing? It was worth the $ 1.00.

I know its in the middle of no where but there is no reason that the gas was 50 cents more expensive than everywhere else. The restrooms were clean and they have a lot of «stuff». It is nice that there is a DQ connected to it.

There’s several historical artifacts on display besides «The Thing». Nothing amazing but if you go in with lighthearted expectations, it’s just creepy enough to be kinda fun.

fun, Fun, FUN! Lived in Arizona for so many years and seeing this all over the highways and never went. Well, upon returning home from a raod trip, i planned to visit this *Thing*. Amazing! Glad i did! The husband was not into it when i told him, but after, he said he was glad we did it! Got gas, Got ice Cream, Bought Gifts for friends and saw the THING!!!

Must stop. Cool gift shop. Super cool museum that is almost free. Dq and gas. Bg truck and RV parking. We have been stopping here for two decades. Grab a Bowlins card to save 10%.

Be honest with yourself: as you’re traveling through the drab and endless desert, you need a little mystery to spice up the drive. Also, you have been advertised The Thing for over 100 miles. The museum is in a series of metal buildings and frankly filled with junk, but still it is $ 1 to see it. If you don’t enjoy The Thing, there is a fun gift/​convenience store with a variety of odd souvenirs attached to the «amazing» attraction.

I’m not sure why everyone is complaining about this roadside attraction. Hello! you paid ONE DOLLAR! Did you expect Disneyland?!!
We enjoyed our walk-​through and so did our 4 year old. The Dairy Queen was the cherry on top!
Now, get over yourselves and try to enjoy the little dumb things in life, like The Thing.

Total complete waste of time UNLESS you’ve got squirming kids in the car that need a break. Then, it’s a godsend, which is why I give it 3 stars… Oh and it’s dog friendly so that’s great too!
Like other reviewers, i don’t want to give away the big reveal, but if you don’t need to stop, keep going!
They do have a Dairy Queen attached and that is a nice cap off to acknowledge the bravery your children showed to see The Thing.

On a 4000 plus mile road trip there is only 1 thing you need to remember and that is WWCGD. For you lamens out there, that is ‘What Would Clark Griswold Do?’ After seeing 19 billboards from Las Cruces, NM saying «See The Thing?». That is it’s name, The Thing?. With a? at the end everytime. That is annoying as I have to a. behing the? everytime.
I have fallen for this multiple billboard game before once with success (Wall Drug in South Dakota) and once without (Bucee’s in Texas). I always fall for tourist traps and as an avid road tripper, I know better.
The Thing? is an over-​glorified gas station/​Dairy Queen that sells a bunch of trinkets, fireworks and other goofy things along the way. It’s absolute hell for parents with little kids as they want to buy every little thing. Luckily my chirren are older but I observed it with others. So we paid the 1.00 entry fee (.75 cents for kids) to see The Thing? and the guy gave a weird little hyped up schpeal about it’s spookiness. He had a have smile smirk on his face as if to say «SUCKERS!!!»
We made the 5 minute walk through a variety of antique torturing devices and odd collectibles before we stumbled upon The Thing?. I’m not going to tell you what The Thing? is. Waste your own 1.00 and find out.
It’s worth a stop if you need gas, a Blizzard from Dairy Queen, or an Arizona refrigerator magnet.

As I said, I don’t know about The Thing?
After driving on I-​10 and looking at the billboards saying The Thing so and so miles, you wonder what’s that all about. Then you stop where there’s a Dairy Queen and a Shell station along with a gift shop.
I had to use the facilities and when I was looking around, the Dairy Queen automatically told me where the bathroom was without me asking him or anyone else. Then I looked around the souvenir shop and most of it is pretty much cheesy, kitschy souvenirs. Although I was tempted to buy a Mexican blanket but I didn’t want to pay $ 24. Of course you have a corner full of fireworks. The snacks, drinks, candy and medicine you need on the road is usually all the way in the back.
Yes there’s an exhibit about The Thing. I guess I wasn’t interested.

Kitschy, tacky, bizarre, weird, outdated… in all the very best ways.
If you haven’t seen «The Thing» you are not living. Basically the lost wonder of the world and at a cheap price you can’t beat. For the people out there who love a good gift shop. THIS ONE IS HUGE! It is also full of random souvenirs you won’t find anywhere else. I try to stop in every time I visit AZ.
If you need an excuse to go, there is gas, and a dairy queen so pull in, you will be surprised how much you love this place and how long you end up staying.

I love tacky road side attractions. I do. It’s a guilty pleasure when we are road tripping and I love that my husband indulges me by always stopping.
When you’re driving along I-​10 breaking up the monotonous drive is a treat. I’ve seen billboards for The Thing, for years. Every time I made the drive I always wanted to stop and this time, we did.
It’s JUST like any of the other stops you’re going to see Adverts for along that stretch of highway, but this one has an «amusement» aspect. You pay the cashier $ 1 and you walk out the door into a trailer park lot. People live there, and then there are warehouses full of «artifacts» to see. It’s kitschy, it’s tacky, it’s totally ridiculous and worth the money. I mostly laughed.
Once done you can buy souvenirs or go into the DK and get service from the most disgruntled employees in all of Dragoon, Az. Not gonna lie, if I lived in BFE, Az and worked at DQ for tourist, I’d be pretty unpleasant too. Move, Dude. Move!
Anyways, The Thing! is worth checking out.