If you love clowns and quirky motels, The Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada, has got you covered. If you suffer from coulrophobia, you better steer clear.
The Clown Motel is appropriately named because it is home to one of the world’s largest private collections of clown memorabilia and figurines (there are thousands here currently, and new ones are added all the time).
For a lot of guests, the presence of clown decor is enough to put them on edge. To make things even spookier, though, ghosts from the Old Tonopah Cemetery next door are said to haunt the motel. If you’re looking for an eerie place to stay while touring Nevada, you can’t go wrong with a visit to this famous motel.
The Clown Motel is currently owned by Vijay Mehar from Las Vegas, who purchased it in April 2019. After his experience working in hotels in Doha, Canada, and Australia, he decided to try his hand at running a different type of destination.
Mehar gave the motel a facelift after purchasing it, with revamped polka dot exteriors, two 19-foot tall Jolly Clown Cutouts, and themed rooms based on popular horror films like The Exorcist, IT, Halloween, and Friday the 13th. Clearly, he’s leaning into the idea of clowns being scary and is working overtime to make The Clown Motel the creepiest place in America.
Mehar also recently added a gazebo next to the Tonopah cemetery so tourists can rest and host parties, birthdays, and even wedding celebrations before retiring to their rooms at The Clown Motel.
For those who want to remember their trip (as if it won’t live on in their nightmares), the gift shop is full of fun souvenirs, and it offers free clown noses to all guests!
To book a stay at The Clown Motel, visit the website here. Room rates start at $80 per night, and some are even pet-friendly.