The Clown Motel: 15 Facts You Might Not Have Known about It or Its City

Did you know the first week of August is International Clown Week and the first Saturday of International Clown Week is National Clown Day? And in case you’re wondering… Yep. Those dates came from the Weird Holidays & Observances page, which never fails to inspire post ideas. In this case, it prompted me to take a closer look at one of the scariest clown places I could think of —the Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada.

The motel has always piqued my interest because not only is it loaded with clowns, which some people find creepy, but it’s also allegedly haunted. And, of course, ghosts are something that also creep a lot of people out.

But put them both together in the form of a haunted clown motel? That sounds like something straight out of a nightmare-inspired horror movie, doesn’t it? (Well, if clowns and/or ghosts scare you.)

It’s also exactly the kind of place that would make a great haunt jaunt.

But is it still open? Hadn’t I read that it closed or was for sale or something? And if it was still open, what about the COVID-19 pandemic? Had that affected it at all?

I did a little digging and discovered a couple of things:

1. The motel did sell but is still open with a new owner, and
2. TonopahNevada.com, which yielded a wealth of information

Here are 15 things I found out about both the motel and Tonopah.

1. Three things in particular draw visitors to Tonopah.

1. Stargazing
2. Mining history
3. The clown motel.

2. USA Today rated Tonopah the #1 Stargazing Destination in America.

According to TonopahNevada.com, Tonopah has such “incredible night skies” because the small unincorporated town enjoys minimal light pollution. It’s far enough from major cities that its skies offer stargazers unobstructed views of the Milky Way and thousands of stars. Literally. They note that “in most cities you can see between 25-50 stars, in Tonopah you can see 7,000!”

3. Tonopah has a stargazing park.

Have you ever visited a stargazing park? I never even knew such things existed, but Clair Blackburn Memorial Stargazing Park is “designed for professional astronomers as well as anyone with an interest in the stars.”

Like with regular parks, they have picnic tables you can sit at to gaze up at the sky. However, they also have cement pads to make setting up your telescope easier.

Tonopah is also affiliated with one of the 16 most popular UFO travel destinations in the U.S., specifically the Extraterrestrial Highway. That means it’s also a good spot for trying to spot out-of-this-world visitors.

4. A mining town once rich in silver, now rich in history.

At the Tonopah Historic Mining Park, you can tour over 100 acres of mining history, including “buildings, artifacts, mine shafts, drop-offs, cave-ins, and even a tunnel.” While you learn about the town’s history and roots, you’ll discover why it was once known as the Queen of the Silver Camps.

5. You can use Tonopah as a base camp while you explore nearby ghost towns.

If exploring ghost towns thrills you, Blair, Fish Lake Valley, Belmont, Tybo, Candelaria, Manhattan, and Goldfield are all good day trips from Tonopah.

Travel Nevada also notes that if you want to check out some impressive construction and get some cool shots of stuff, you’ll find an old miner’s cabin constructed out of rocks near Gold Mountain and the last wooden train trestle in Nivloc.

6. There’s a brewing company in Tonopah.

Speaking of ghost towns, you might work up a thirst exploring them. You could always check out the Tonopah Brewing Company, which was established in 2014. One of their “custom brews” is Ghost Miner Stout.

7. The Clown Motel touts itself as “America’s scariest motel.”

Because of the clowns and the Old Tonopah Cemetery right next store. Speaking of…

8. You can visit the graves of some of Tonopah’s resident ghosts.

Not only is the Clown Motel rumored to be haunted, but so are some of Tonopah’s other buildings, like the Mizpah Hotel, the Tonopah Liquor Company, and the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. And some of the people suspected of now haunting these establishments are buried in the Old Tonopah Cemetery.

Such as Bina Verrault. She’s said to haunt the Historic Mining Park’s Visitor Center. George “Devil” Davis was Tonopah’s first African American resident and had a reputation as a prankster and jokester. Some say he’s still up to his old tricks at the Tonopah Liquor Company.

But there was a major mine fire and a “plague” that also claimed the lives of many people who are buried in the cemetery.

9. The Mizpah Hotel is Tonopah’s other spooky stay.

The Clown Motel isn’t the only haunted place to spend the night. A Lady in Red is said to haunt the 5th floor of the Mizpah Hotel located in downtown Tonopah. It’s alleged that an unnamed woman was murdered there by a jealous ex once upon a time.

But she’s not the only restless spirit roaming the old hotel. The 3rd floor is also rumored to experience paranormal activity from ghost children.

10. The Clown Motel has an endearing origin story.

It was never the original intention for the Clown Motel to be creepy. According to the Clown Motel’s website, Leona and Leroy David built the motel in 1985 in memory to their dad, Clarence David. Clarence loved clowns and collected them. He had 150 which Leona and Leroy “decided to use as the theme and focal point of their motel in memory of their father.”

And if you want to pay your respects to Clarence, you can. He’s buried next door in the Old Tonopah Cemetery.

11. The Clown Motel is pet-friendly.

We don’t have a dog anymore, but when we did I always appreciated finding haunted hotels that welcomed pets too. I have a feeling our Murph would’ve loved the Clown Motel.

12. Don’t confuse the Clownvis Suite with the Clown Suites.

Fans of America’s Got Talent might recognize Clownvis Presley, who did not endear himself to the judges during his audition. (Sharon Osbourne told him to “F off.”) Even though it was an epic fail, he’s found fans at the Clown Motel, who have designated Room 222 as the Clownvis Suite in his honor.

But they also have “regular” clown suites, one downstairs (with a king bed) and two upstairs (one a king bed and the other with a queen).

That’s not the only themed rooms they have though…

13. The Clown Motel’s haunted themed rooms.

The Clown Motel may have started out to honor the memory of a clown-loving dearly departed dad, but these days the owners embrace horror lovers. Of the 31 rooms, four are horror movie-themed, including:

• The IT room (108)
• The Exorcist Room (111)
• The Halloween room (210)
• The Friday the 13th Room (214)

Coincidentally, these are also the ones rumored to be haunted by people who once stayed in them —and in a couple of cases died in them.

14.  There are thousands of clowns at the Clown Motel.

Over 2,000 and growing.

15. The Clown Motel accepts clown donations. (And hopes to set a Guinness World Record someday.)

According to the motel’s site, they’re commonly asked if they’ll buy a clown collection or sell some of the clowns. Their answer is always “No” to both.

To honor the motel’s origins, they are committed to preserving “the love for clowns and legacy that the David family” started. They do gladly accept clown donations and hope one day to acquire enough to top the current record holder’s, which stands at 4,348 clowns.

For More Info

Visit theclownmotelusa.com.

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Would you be brave enough to stay in one of the haunted horror-themed rooms at the Clown Motel?