Clown Motel Named ‘Scariest’ in America Is No Laughing Matter

If you aren’t scared of clowns, you very well might be after spending the night at this place.

The Clown Motel is situated in the small unincorporated town of Tonopah, Nevada, approximately 200 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The glitz and glamour of Vegas is apparently lost somewhere along that long stretch of highway because The Clown Motel is far from a five-star resort.

Why Would Someone Open A Clown Motel?

According to its website, The Clown Motel first opened in 1985 thanks to the children of Clarence David who died in a fire in 1942. David is buried in the cemetery next to The Clown Motel.

Yes, there is a cemetery next door.

David’s children wanted some place to display their father’s extensive clown collection that featured more than 150 pieces. Since then, The Clown Motel has changed ownership a couple times, but has continued to grow its collection.

The popularity and curiosity surrounding the motel has has increased during that time. The property has been featured in seven movies and several documentaries through the years.

What Do The Rooms Look Like At The Clown Motel?

Rooms at the motel typically run between $105 and $150. In addition to their standard rooms, The Clown Motel also has several specialty themed rooms.

Guests in the Fear Unlimited room can wake up every morning to clown faces staring at them from the walls. The room also allegedly has a dark story behind it.

“Room #107 was closed for the last 4 years after a couple of deaths in the room in the last 10 years and was used as storage on and off,” The Clown Motel website says in description of the room. It also states that guests have reported “moving furniture” and sounds coming from the walls.

The It room is one of several rooms based on pop culture horror literature and movies. Inspired by Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel, the room features a large mural of the story’s antagonist and clown, Pennywise.

Clown Collection Continues to Grow

The Clown Motel was most recently purchased by Vijay Mehar in 2019. Since buying the colorful motel, Mehar has revamped the rooms while also adding to the vast collection of clowns.

What once started as a collection of 150 clown-related pieces has now grown to more than 3,000. All of the pieces are included as part of a clown museum on the property.

Online reviews of the motel and museum are fairly favorable. Although, some guests have alleged paranormal activity at the establishment.

“Around 2AM I woke up because I felt my bed shaking,” Rusty Heaps shared as part of his review on Google. “I told whoever it was to knock it off and went right back to sleep.”

If there are ghost clowns, at least they appear to be accommodating to guests’ requests.