Clown Motel: The World’s Creepiest Motel
Between the Stephen King novel It, serial killer John Wayne Gacy’s affinity for clowns, and countless haunted houses which employ sinister cackling clowns with sharp teeth—it’s pretty clear that clowns are straight up terrifying. If images of blood-thirsty clowns keep you awake at night, it’s probably best for you to skip the Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada.
The Clown Motel was started in the mid-1980s by a brother and sister with wholesome intentions. Siblings Leona and Leroy David founded the Clown Motel to showcase their deceased father’s extensive collection of clown memorabilia. David and Leona filled the lobby with clown figurines, and adorned each room with clown paintings and other clown accessories.
Over the years, the Clown Motel became so wildly popular that the motel’s clown collection exploded from 150 clowns to over 2,000 clowns. There are cutesy clowns, sad clowns, and sinister clowns that look as though they will haunt your nightmares for the rest of time. One of the most popular clown figurines is a truly evil looking clown with rotten teeth who resides in a circus cage.
If creepy clowns galore just aren’t scary enough for you, the Clown Motel is located next to a desolate mining graveyard called the Old Tonopah Cemetery. The Old Tonopah Cemetery is the final resting place of hundreds of miners who were killed in accidents, fires, and a mysterious plague that was never formally identified.
An evening at the Clown Motel in rural Tonopah is the best possible way to scare yourself silly if you’re traveling between Reno and Las Vegas. There are few things more viscerally terrifying than staying in a motel lined with clown paintings that overlooks a mining cemetery full of rusty, decaying grave markers. Tonopah’s remote desert location will truly make you feel like you’re in a horror movie.
Address:
521 N Main Street
Tonopah, Nevada, 89049
United States
UnusualPlaces Field Notes
- Location
- The Clown Motel main lobby building, 521 N Main Street, Tonopah, Nevada, USA
- Coordinates
- 38.0722851861, -117.2376724381
- Access
- The Town of Tonopah's current visitor guide identifies a free clown museum in the motel lobby. The operator’s contact page confirms the address, 521 N Main Street, and front-desk hours of 8:30 a.m.–11 p.m. PT. The operator’s current policy notes ongoing renovation work. Lobby access is not separately guaranteed by the operator, so call before visiting just to see the collection.
- Admission
- The Town of Tonopah describes the lobby clown museum as free. The motel does not publish separate walk-in museum terms; call before making a special trip. Room charges vary by date and are separate.
- Time needed
- No standard viewing duration is published for the lobby collection. Ask the motel whether walk-in access is available; if staying overnight, its policy lists check-in at 3 p.m. and checkout at 11 a.m.
- Best season
- The operator and Travel Nevada do not name a preferred season. The motel lists daily front-desk hours; check room availability and current local travel conditions for your dates.
- Opening hours
- Front desk/office: daily 8:30 a.m.–11 p.m. Pacific, per the motel’s current contact page. These are desk hours, not separately published museum visiting hours. Room check-in is 3 p.m.; checkout is 11 a.m.
- Location checked
- 2026-10-20
- Facts checked
- 2026-10-20
Location
Use the zoom buttons or pinch to zoom. Use arrow keys to pan when the map is focused.
Interactive map loads when in view.
Explorer Passport
Next badge: Trail Scout
Unlocked after exploring 5 different unusual places.
0 of 5 places explored
Discover more from Unusual Places
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
