California Institute of Abnormalarts (CIA)

This unusual location in North Hollywood is home to strange sideshow displays, musical performances, and other live events that are more difficult to define.

Usually classified as “freakshows,” the events, which draw large crowds that don’t have many other venues that cater to them, fit right in with the decor.

As you can see in the pictures above, the body of a mummified clown, Achile Chatouilleu, is on display in a sealed glass coffin - still wearing his clown costume and makeup. The pride and joy of the owner, former mortician Carl Crew claimed that the body is that of a failed U.S. clown leased by the owners.

Scattered throughout the building are body parts, including skulls, bones, and petrified limbs. They take their place among other curios and oddities, including circus signage, man-eating monsters, screens showing clips from sci-fi and horror films, and more.

Update: Permanently closed as of June 2022.