We visited Tonopah, Nevada. While there, we stayed at the haunted Mizpah Hotel, and visited creepy Clown Motel as well. Joe's Instagram: / joeysroadtrip Travel Vlog 266
I worked at the Mizpah Hotel over 45 years ago. Back then, the 5 story building had been closed for several years for remodeling. All of the “action” was next door at what was called the annex, where they had a fairly good sized casino and restaurant. It was all owned by Frank Scott back in those days who also owned the Union Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas. That year, they had finally finished remodeling the 5 story building and the night of their grand re-opening, I was the person running the front desk. An elderly gentleman came up to the front desk that night and asked me what I thought about working there. Being the consummate front desk professional, I told him I loved working there. I’m sure glad I did, because he then stuck out his hand and introduced himself as Frank Scott! Mr. Scott was always in Las Vegas, and I had never seen him at the Mizpah, except that one night, so I had no idea who he was. The bar you see in the video used to be “L” shaped, and it ran around the entire wall downstairs. The area you now see where couches and chairs now are was once lined with slot machines. In recent years, winery owners Fred & Nancy Cline purchased the Mizpah Hotel (and the Belvada Hotel across the street) and put a lot of money back into the Mizpah to restore it as best they could to its original state. I think they did a fabulous job of it!
Very good input to the video thank you 🙏 🎉so incredibly interesting to me. I’m surprised there isn’t at least 3-4 slot machines in the bar area somewhere..🎰
My great-grandma was born in Tonopah! She and her siblings were all born in mining towns, her dad and grandad were both miners. She said the only thing she ever wanted growing up was a home of her own, and that she would never have to move again.
Love the Clown Motel and the "Get out!" spookiness in the hotel corridors where you stayed! I used to watch Ghost Adventures and this was one of the places where they filmed a long time ago--the Mizpah Hotel, I mean. Great video, you guys
On a family trip from L.A. to Sun Valley, Idaho, in about 1960, we stopped at the Mizpah for breakfast. I was amazed that food was available in such a remote place. It was the largest building in all of the vast Nye County, of which Tonapah is the county seat. Back then, the building and furnishings looked all original.
Love the film. We are from the UK and came to the US in June. We stayed at the Mizpah for one night. We had a couple of burgers in the bar and they were lovely. And the atmosphere in the bar was great too. During the night we could hear footsteps. My wife thought they in the room. I thought it was outside and just people going back to their rooms.
A great video, as always, such an interesting town. I love the hotel you stayed at, the old-world atmosphere and decor was amazing, and I'm always so fascinated with haunted hotels. The Clown Motel was very unique, a great place to visit, and the cemetery was a very interesting historical site. Thank you so much, Joe and Nic.😊👻💚
I've been through Tonopah a dozen times over the years. Worked as a mining engineer for several open pit gold mines out of Ely and Winnemucca from 35 years back up until 1995, when we moved from Winnemucca to Tucson, to work in the open pit copper mines down here. When the wife and kids (boy and girl twins aged 5 at the time) joined me down here, they had to stay at the Clown Motel, at the kids insistence. That three story for sale at the 29 minute mark was for sale over 20 years ago when I drove by it. You guys missed out on the mining museum there, although it seems you drove by it - the headframe on the hill.
@@koolaidblack7697 pretty much. I got out of my car to peer through the windows. It would have needed quite a bit to make it habitable. A friendly stray cat came up to me to get some love while I was investigating. Someone must have been feeding it at least, as it didn't look malnourished.
J.R.Ewing as a tour guide.I couldn't get enough Dallas because of J.R. and you sound alot like him and I don't see much of you so I just pretend your him and it's very intriguing just like the soap opera.and you handle each video in a business like manner.I adore this stuff thanks for doing such a good job.
Heard the sound effects very clearly. A male screamed 3 times then said, "I told you to get out." I bet they have a motion detector set up. Loved it though :)
Highway 95 is the main N/S route east of the Sierras and goes from border to border through Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, which is why it is so busy. There are future plans to make it more truck friendly through certain stretches. I have travelled 95 between Winnemucca and Boise many times during different seasons and the views are breathtaking at times. Enjoy the trip. Also when you passed the "museum" house up on the hill, you missed that right next to it was a house from 1902 hidden behind the shrubbery and trees.
Locals should be very glad Raley's hasn't decided to pull the plug on the Tonopah location, the logistics must be a nightmare. Looks like it's about 100 miles to Bishop CA for the nearest ER since the tiny hospital in Tonopah closed in 2015. 200 miles to a trauma center. You're in the middle of nowhere in a small boat with out a paddle in that town if something medically serious happens.
I was an official at a motorsports event held in Tonopah and I thought the most appropriate place for an official to stay was the Clown Motel. Aside from the fixtures in the bathroom being dated, the room was really nice. But the place is totally creepy. It didn’t help that I was awoken at 3am on the first night by someone trying to get into my room (he got the room number wrong). Tonopah didn’t seem like it was dying to me. The town that I found eerily vacant was Goldfield. I stopped there because key scenes from the original Vanishing Point film were shot there. I didn’t see anyone else on the street for the 15 min I was walking around.
Wow cool.. what kind of motor sport event was it? Interesting input. These old towns are intriguing to me. And I love anything two wheels or three or four lol
Stage rally. The Nevada Rally held last Nov. The route was a big loop on roads west south west of town. The service area was on the gravel road parallel to the highway coming into town from the south. The rally ran into the evening and the service area was elevated enough that we could see the lights at the Tonopah Test rRange. But we didn’t see any test aircraft activities.
I am a big fan of the 1971 version of Vanishing Point and a lot of it was shot between Austin, NV and Goldfield. I put together a family road trip through there that would stop at filming locations but the family wanted to go to Extraterrestrial Highway instead of Tonopah and Goldfield, so I didn’t make it there until I went to the rally.
Thanks for yet another engaging small-town tour. It's so much easier being an arm-chair tourist. We drove through Tonopah in April and ate an affordable meal at the Burger King. Last time I was there was around 1964. My uncle was in the Air Force and worked at a radar station up on a hill above Tonopah. Talk about desolate and hot in the summer. Driving in 1964 without AC through Nevada was no picnic.
We stayed at the mitzpah hotel too on the 3 rd floor. Went to the station to eat and play machines for awhile. We loved the trip and stopped at goldfield for the day.
Looks like an interesting, but creepy, falling- down place. I can definitely see why the younger population high-tailed it out of there! Thanks for sharing. Mrs. C.
I've been to Tonopah more times than I can count. Stayed at the Mizpah once before. Nothing scary happened. You can certainly see the age in the place, but the new owners have upgraded it nicely.
Hi Joe and Nic - this video is my fav so far - I LOVE that you stayed at the Mizpah Hotel! I love anything haunted, hopefully you'll find some more haunted attractions and show them to us as well xoxo
That town was rather depressing. The cemetery was interesting and I could sit at that bar all night long. I'm sure if you go to California soon, you've already planned where you are visiting, but Bodega Bay would be interesting. Where they filmed Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. LOL
Nice touch with having a meal towards the beginning of the video. Did you ever figure who was talking to you in the hall outside your room in the evening? That was pretty scary. Really a pleasant surprise with your stop at the bar at the end of the video. Very much enjoyed the footage from the Tonopah Cemetery. Could of listened forever as you read the inscriptions from the grave markers.
I just happened across this video and now you have a new subscriber. I like how they keep the cemetery fixed up. Looking forward to exploring more of your videos.
You have a GREAT narration voice. That hotel was amazing...loved the inside look...those dinner prices were outrageous however...Nic looks great as well. :) Lucky man...
This place has to be thee most DEPRESSING barren creepy place I have seen on a YT video. A ghost town with decrepit structures surrounded by giant sand hills.Honestly, you couldn't pay me to go there. Looks like.....death.
Tonapahis not that bad. It even has suburban houses and lots of secret activity at nearby Area 51. While they were testing the original stealth fighter there, the broad spectrum avionics and telemetry would open every wireless garage door opener simultaneously. If you fly over on a commercial flight, you will see an unmarked runway long enough to land the Space Shuttle. Not everything is as it initially seems
Thank you for the video, love to follow along on you adventure. Yes that town is on its way out, your ride through was sad to see how a good portion of the town lives. Be well, be safe.
Loved this video. Of course I love Nevada. I lived in LV and Carson city for more than twenty years. Great job showing this old West town. I also thought Nicole looked cute in the dressed down style. Safe travels.
I stayed in Tonopah probably 20 years ago at a motel that is no longer there. It was clean but showing lots of wear and tear even then. Probably it was from the 60s. I remember that the room was very large--but old. It was a block or two away from the Mizpah, and on the other side of the street. I think your restaurant was easily the priciest place between Reno and Las Vegas.
I lived there in the late 80s and it really hasn't changed since I lived in the little town. The Tonopah Station was named the station house. It's a old train station
I got such a giggle/chuckle from the "Alien Brothel". Having a flashback to the green-skinned women from Star Trek, I guess you could say "Once You've gone green, ain't nothing obscene!".
Excellent vid, really enjoyed that. We stayed at the Best Western you passed on the right when you came into town. Cool place and they have reserved motorcycle parking right in the front. Tonopah was a very interesting place on our trek, could have stayed much longer than a day for sure. The clown motel is a must see
I lived in Pahrump NV for a while. Happy memories there. We left state together, eventually parted ways but remained close friends. Sadly she passed away from cirrhosis complications due to alcoholism a few weeks ago. But it was nice to see a lot of familiar areas. Lot of happy memories there and I do miss it but can never go back. Thank you for the footage, it was nostalgic for me.
I am addicted to your videos. I am from spain-france , I spend some time lost in Utah years ago. I was scared wandering between towns but I have a very special memory. I had to jump some fences when getting lost. No phones then for me , just paper maps.
I drive the Reno Vegas highway quite a bit, and probably have done so over a hundred times in my day. I love this drive, I love Nevada and have stayed in Tonopah, but have never set foot in the Clown Motel so I thank you for going in there so that I never have to! Interesting to note: the only active lithium mine in the US is about 35 miles west of Tonopah in Silver Peak. (much lithium exploration and development is now happening in Nevada with lots of controversy, and there will be more activity around Tonopah in the future). also worth noting that there is turquoise mining in the region, with some jewelry makers I met in Arizona saying that the best turquoise comes from this part of Nevada.
I have a good friend named Mike Hardy who was a chemist before retiring at the lithium mine in Silver Peak. He owns a ranch outside of Austin, NV now. I think the mine was bought out by Amermarle? Thirty years ago I had a place some twenty miles northwest of Tonopah. Another twenty miles are so on northwest of there was some very good quality turquoise. Several miles on north of there is the original Hilton Ranch (Hilton Hotel family). All the roads are still gravel in this area I think.
@@alibarron7558 yes you are right, the Silver Peak mine is operated by Amermarle. That is interesting about the Hilton ranch, I didn’t know that! It’s beautiful land there for sure. You’re lucky to have spent time out there getting turquoise. There’s a small shop next to the brewery in Tonopah where they sell jewelry with stones they’ve mined at Lone Mountain.
In the early 50s, my dad worked for Kennecott in Tonopah. He was a welder and built a lot of mine derricks which he always claimed were still standing.
00:46 Siri~Proceed to the route 00:49 mrs Spoda- you should shut up Idk why that made me laugh so hard….I’m easily amused maybe 🤷🏻 Love what you do man…keep at it.
First, I would like to thank you for correctly saying Nevada! I grew up in Carson City, but lived in Las Vegas and my senior year of high school in Tonopah. I've spent the better part of my adulthood correcting the way people pronounce my home state. While I was in school I worked as a busboy in the Tonopah Station restaurant, back then (1982-1983) it was called the Station House. The town was growing, do to the Anaconda mine and the Air Force was secretly building up the Tonopah Test site which later became the Tonopah Air Force Base where the F-117 Nighthawk was doing testing (that no one new about). I left Tonopah less than a week after I graduated in 1983 and joined the Navy. Thanks for the tour, it's been 30 years since I was last in Tonopah for my 10 year class reunion, It brings back some. Thanks for the video.
NO ONE wants to be told how to pronounce something. Yeah, I'm sure it's irritating to you to hear it a different way. I think maybe once or twice in my life I've heard it said "Correctly". I'm guessing it is a Spanish word.
I have seen the clown motel and the cemetery on other youtube channels, I didn't know there was such a lovely old hotel there as well. I also thought Nic's dress with the daisies on it was really lovely (I am a woman too).
Mining or oilfield, it's still mineral extraction. And Ive been in enough oilfields to last a lifetime. I think what's amazing is that 2000 people are STILL THERE with all the myriad authentic ghost towns in Nevada!! Why? Must've been profitable long enough for others to gain a foothold in other vocations not directly related to mining per se?! I live in Utah and came to the Intermountain West 35 yrs ago. I'm only about 30 minutes south of Salt Lake City but can be at old mine shafts in 20 minutes if need be. It was a very tough life. As an ol oilfield hand, I can say no one really wants to live forever in such a town. They hope to make their dreams come true in a far fairer place. I always called the oilfield the land of broken dreams. Pretty sure ppl felt the same about Tonopah and other such towns. Just trying to save the family farm, car, or perhaps the family itself. Just a quick infusion of $ for as long as possible because it never lasts long... price of silver or oil always up and down and politics changing things. Today, feast. Tomorrow, famine. Great video. Has had me thinking about it since I watched yesterday! 😊
I love that the neighborhoods are hodge podge and not uniform. Classic old west Nevada. The houses are quaint and unique and no opulence to be found outside of the Mizpah. I LOVE NV! I grew up there (Tahoe).
@ 5:05 I’m pretty sure that’s Emmet Kelly, a world famous clown. My grandmother and my mother collected his stuff. My grandmother met him when the carnivals used to travel with the circus. Thank you for showing all this.
FYI FOR ALL YOU GAMERS. The Clown Hotel at 4:00 was used in a Call Of Duty Advance Warfare map. This was back in the day when Dr. Disrespect was working as a map designer for Activision. He was actually involved in the design of the Clown Hotel map.
I enjoyed your video of Tonopah my family and I lived there from 1975 to 1984 you actually drove by my old house at the intersection of Utah and Bryan Avenue enjoyed seeing the town again thanks
it looks like mind boggling boring place to live tbh and there are no opportunities there so i completely understand people who move out to greener pastures
Anyone who is a Charlie Chan fan might remember the movie Charlie Chan in Reno 1939 . In that movie the sheriff who is working the same case as Charlie Chan is from Tonopah. At the end of the movie the exasperated sheriff says that he is going back to Tonopah to arrest a cattle rustler and he (the sheriff) was certain that he could make the case stick because the rustler was found under the cow. Love your videos
Okay My friends. I live vicariously through you guys. I love your vids! My GF and I do something similar, but only in a small way, nothing like you guys do. Love it! Keep on keeping on! You're the best, I'll watching ya till ya call it quits...
No rhyme or reason to the neighborhoods that's for sure.... Thanks for sharing another interesting part of our history... Cool hotel that you two stayed in...
