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Imagine driving into a small desert town late at night. You can hardly hold your eyes open and need to find a motel room rather quickly. You finally come across a motel that has a vacancy. You think you just got really lucky, but you soon discover the motel has a clown theme. Yes, clowns! Creepy clowns everywhere!
If hundreds of clowns aren't creepy enough, the Clown Motel shares its property with the historic Tonopah Cemetery. This cemetery was established in 1901 and is the final resting place of over 300 town residents. Several of these deceased residents were miners who died over 100 years ago in the Tonopah-Belmont mine fire.
So, why would anyone open up a motel next to an old, creepy cemetery? According to Bob Perchetti, the Clown Motel's current owner, the story goes a little something like this:
A man named Leroy David purchased the property during the 1970s. His father, Clarence H. David, was one of the miners who perished in the Tonopah-Belmont mine fire and was buried in the cemetery. After a lot of thought, Leroy decided to put a motel on the land.
Leroy purchased a clown collection from a man he met in Las Vegas, and he later decided to combine his motel idea with his newly-purchased clown collection. His motel would later be known as the famous Clown Motel.
Ever since Mr. Perchetti took over the motel, clowns are constantly being added to the collection. Guests will sometimes donate a clown, and every now and then, clowns will show up in the mail from complete strangers. Stuffed clowns! Ceramic clowns! Big clowns! Small clowns! SUPER CREEPY CLOWNS!
If you're brave enough to stay a night at the Clown Motel, be sure to call ahead to reserve your room. Surprisingly, this motel books up pretty quickly. If you're really, REALLY BRAVE, request a second-floor room for a GREAT view of the cemetery. Please be careful. People don't call this the "Most Terrifying Motel In The World" for nothing. Clowns don't mess around!
