Thousands of Clowns Watch You Sleep in This Nevada Motel Next to a Cemetery

The Clown Motel, Nevada

Just off a lonely stretch of Nevada highway sits the stuff of nightmares – or comedy gold, depending who you ask.

Back in 1985, siblings Leroy and Leona David built the Clown Motel beside Tonopah Cemetery where their dad Clarence was buried after dying in the 1942 Belmont Mine Fire.

They put his 150-piece clown collection in the lobby to give the place a cheerful vibe. That’s how you get a motel with clowns watching over you as you sleep.

So is it haunted? Maybe. Will you sleep with one eye open? Definitely.

Either way, it’s the perfect strange-but-true combo that road trip legends are made of.

You’ll Be Sleeping on an Ex-Cemetery

The Clown Motel lot was originally part of the cemetery. According to locals, a big flood uncovered bodies and disturbed their graves, though the Tonopah Historic Mining Park Foundation suggests mine waste, not a flood, might have disrupted the burial grounds.

When they did recent renovations, archaeological surveys found bone fragments and old coffin hardware from a century ago, confirming that some burial plots went beyond the current cemetery boundaries.

The Clown Collection Never Stops Growing

There’s over 5,000 clowns as of 2025, probably making it the biggest collection of clown items anywhere in the world.

You’ll see every type you can imagine: large and small clowns, hobos, circus performers, friendly faces, and downright scary ones. People from around the world send new clowns to add to the display, and many visitors bring clown dolls as gifts.

The collection now includes antique pieces more than 100 years old, valuable collector’s items, and unique handmade clowns you won’t find anywhere else.

Miners That Go Bump in the Night

During your stay at the motel, you might run into ghosts connected to Tonopah’s mining history. The Tonopah-Belmont Mine Fire of February 23, 1911, killed 17 miners and many people believe these miners are behind the hauntings.

Guests have heard voices saying things like ‘we mined’ and ‘we died that day,’ and people often see shadowy figures moving between the cemetery and motel.

Some visitors have recorded ghostly voices of miners talking about their final moments working underground.

Of Course There’s a Ghost Clown, Too

One guest reported seeing a 7-foot tall clown watching him sleep, which disappeared when he fully woke up.

This wasn’t just a one-time sighting. Different guests over the years have reported seeing a very tall clown figure. The staff think it might be the ghost of a circus performer who died in Tonopah during the early mining days.

Security cameras have sometimes caught strange, tall shadows moving through hallways at night without anyone physically being there.

You Can Go Ghost Hunting

If you’re brave enough, you can conduct your own paranormal investigation at the Clown Motel. For an extra fee, you can rent EMF meters from the front desk to detect ghost activity.

The motel also runs ghost tours with a local medium, happening in the cemetery at night for $10 per person. The staff keep a book where guests can write down their unusual experiences, creating a long record of supernatural events on the property.

There’s a catch, though…

You Can’t Blame the Motel If You Get Haunted

Their website has an unusual warning stating that the Clown Motel isn’t liable for any emotional distress caused by ‘spiritual and/or unexplained phenomena and/or other unexplainable, unusual or paranormal activity’ during your stay.

So if you want to chase that 7-foot tall clown or the ghosts of dead miners, good luck. You’re on your own.

It Doubles as an Event Space

A recent addition to the property is a gazebo built next to the historic Tonopah cemetery where tourists, guests and residents can rest, have parties, celebrate birthdays, and even hold wedding ceremonies.

This unusual event space has become surprisingly popular for Gothic-themed weddings, paranormal group meetings, and Halloween parties.

Several couples who met during ghost tours have later come back to get married in the gazebo, using the cemetery and motel as backgrounds for their wedding photos.

From Roadside Oddity to Netflix Star

The motel has appeared in seven movies and many documentaries over the years, helping make it famous far beyond Nevada. The Travel Channel show ‘Ghost Adventures’ investigated the motel in a popular episode that greatly increased bookings.

Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO have all made shows about the location. The motel’s fame has created a thriving business selling merchandise, with Clown Motel t-shirts, hoodies, and mugs becoming sought-after items among people who collect weird Americana.

The Other Haunted Hotel Down the Street

Not a fan of clowns but still want to experience something paranormal? There are other options nearby. The historic Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah has a famous ghost called the Lady in Red, who is so well-known they’ve created a wine named after her.

The grand old hotel has whole floors where people report ghostly guests and staff wandering around.

Because Tonopah has an unusual number of haunted places for such a small town, some think there might be energy hotspots or special underground rock formations that boost supernatural activity.

Plan Your Stay at the Clown Motel

The World Famous Clown Motel welcomes you to Tonopah, Nevada, located on US-6/US-95 at the north end of town.

When it comes to accommodations, you have several options:

• Choose from themed rooms like the Clownvis Suite or IT Suite. Rooms come with either one king bed or two queen beds and can fit up to four people.
• Expect to pay between $85-$199 per night in 2025, with the themed and reportedly haunted rooms costing more.
• Every room comes with heating/cooling, TV, refrigerator, microwave and coffee pot for your comfort.

There’s internet, BBQ grills, and loads of other amenities.