The Clown Motel (Part 1)
Tonopah, Nevada, USA
Hello, inquisitive people. Wander Woman here. I’d like to ask you a question: do you enjoy feeling just a little bit scared? And here is a follow-up question for you: would you ever consider spending a night in the scariest motel in America? Well, in June 2022 I did just that, and I’m here to tell you all about it!
The Clown Motel in the small mining town of Tonopah, Nevada has been given the title of the scariest motel in America. It’s been featured on several television shows; both travel shows and shows about the paranormal. I happen to watch a lot of travel shows, and a lot of shows about the paranormal. That’s how the Clown Motel came onto my personal radar. After seeing a segment about it on a TV show, I Googled for more information. Before long I had decided it was an absolute must-see destination for my personal travels. After that, it was only a matter of coming up with a reason to visit this particularly remote and desolate corner of Nevada!
After working that out, it was just the small matter of finding a friend who’d be willing to spend the night in America’s scariest motel with me. Spoiler alert: the first person I asked said no, and also that I was crazy. But luckily, my amazing ride-or-die friend Sholeh is just as adventurous as me, and she said a resounding yes! We ended up making Tonopah the first night on what would be a much longer road trip.
A few words about Tonopah, Nevada: in its heyday, it was a center of silver mining, but today it’s a quiet town of some 2,200 residents in southwestern Nevada. It is not much of a tourist destination, but it does have a few draws. Its wild-west mining boomtown history is one, it’s famously dark night skies, ideal for stargazing, is another. It is also the only place in the world where the rare and lovely “white buffalo turquoise” is currently mined. This stone is sought-after by aficionados of “Southwest style” silver jewelry, of whom I happen to be one! But by far the attraction that brings most visitors to Tonopah, Nevada is [drumroll, please] the Clown Motel itself!
READ HER PREVIOUS TRAVEL BLOG AT CALIFORNIA COASTAL REDWOODS
