Naturist Club or Resort Member?

[Elendil]

I was interested to see how many of you are members of nudist clubs or resorts.

http://nudefreedom.blogspot.com/

[tinner666]

I pay less than $600. a year for membership. Gives me voting rights and is less than $2.00 per day. I can come and go as I please. Night or day. Not too unusual to get a 2am vollryball game going. Or poker game. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

[nudenwv]

i would like very much to be a member of a nudist club/resort. the clubs i checked into are out of town and would have to drive some distance to attend swims and other functions. if i joined i'd want very much to support them. i hope one day to do that. it's on my "want to" list!

[FireProf]

I think once my wife visits Glen Eden, we will most likely join. At the moment, she has a misconceptions of what the clubs are and I have dispelled most of those but she needs to go see for herself.

We are getting back into camping with the grandkids and this will further her interest in visiting a club where she can camp (in an RV) and be nude.

We are members of Desert Shadows and Friends of San Onofre Beach but not of a non-landed club....YET! http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/beam.gif

[usuallylurk]

Originally posted by Elendil:
I was interested to see how many of you are members of nudist clubs or resorts.

http://nudefreedom.blogspot.com/

My wife and I belong to a landed club (Cedar Waters), three non-landeds (Sherwood Forest, Maine Coast Solar Bares, Naturist New Hampshire) and an informal group that operates in Maine.

We also hold TNS membership. I don't know if this would count as a "group" but we attend the Eastern Gathering every year as well.

[MoonShadow]

Guess I am the odd one out here but have never had any need to belong to any nudist resort or any resort, for that matter. In my decades of travl and being a nudist, I have been just about everywhere and spent time nude at most places. But that is just me.

[D-TX]

Originally posted by Elendil:
I was interested to see how many of you are members of nudist clubs or resorts.

I'm a member of the non-landed "Texas Singles (http://www.txsingles.net/index.html)" group that's based here in Houston. I've also got a membership in the landed club, "Sahnoans at Star Ranch (http://www.starranch.net/)" near Austin.

Take Care & Enjoy Life Bare,
David

[Rick_42]

Even the nearest non-landed club is an hour's drive and I've submitted my membership application.

There are also two landed clubs about an hour away, Sunshower Country Club in Centerville, IN and Paradise Gardens in Cincinnati. I was at Sunshower this past Saturday and hope to visit PG soon.

[Big-Thinker]

I'm an extreme cheapskate. I'll buy a $500+ membership to a resort maybe when I'm a millionaire :-) There's no way I'll pay so much to get into someplace nude when I can be nude at home for free.

[D-TX]

Originally posted by Big-Thinker:
I'm an extreme cheapskate. I'll buy a $500+ membership to a resort maybe when I'm a millionaire :-) There's no way I'll pay so much to get into someplace nude when I can be nude at home for free.

Do you get to invite friends over to participate in social nudism, or just spend nude time by yourself?

[TheNorm]

Originally posted by Big-Thinker:
I'm an extreme cheapskate. I'll buy a $500+ membership to a resort maybe when I'm a millionaire :-) There's no way I'll pay so much to get into someplace nude when I can be nude at home for free. I'm pretty cheap myself, but with LDS less than 15 minutes away, full gym, 4 pools, hiking trails, and dues of $31/month (after initiation fee), it's a bargain I couldn't pass up. Their student rates are only about $130/year if I remember correctly.

[Naturist Mark]

I can be nude at home too.

With the windows closed. And NOT in my yard. Never in sunlight. Can't hike, run, or swim much inside the house. Really doesn't compare to a weekend at a club.

$500 is steep for a handful of visits per year. For 10 or more it makes a lot of sense. Depends on how you would use your membership.

[sawdust]

My wife and I RV alot. When we can we try to stay at naturist resorts, if they are on our rout. What I find amazing is that these resorts not only charge rather high fees for spending the night (often between $35.00 to $55.00 per night) but they also then charge a day fee as well. That seems unreasonable!

I have stayed at some very nice non-nudist resorts, use all of their facilities and do it for just the cost of their over night fee. I guess that their must be a cost just to take off your clothing at a naturist resort. It certainly isn't a "cover charge!"

Our planned trip to stay at White Tail Park in VA for a week in Sept was changed. We discovered that our cost would add a third to our overall week camping cost just to take off our clothing at WTP. We found a very nice (non-naturist) RV park, with all the required ammenities for just the traditional over night cost. We will be naked in our RV!

I am all for supporting naturist parks making a buck but I don't like the idea of being taking advantage of because of greed by park management. Sawdust

[Nude and Tanned]

It is always amazing to me that some people will complain about the cost of going to or belonging to a club. When the same said people will gladly spend more money to go to theme parks, ball games or nascar races. I for one am happy to belong to my club and I do support them anyway I can. I love my fellow friends, brothers, and sisters who belong to my club and most feel the same way I do.
If we don't do what we can to have a safe secure family environment where we and other like minded people can go to be nude then nudity will be a thing of the past. Some of you may have a home with enough land or whatever to be nude on but, I am sure you don't have the close friendships and activities we have in the club atmosphere.
The clubs have to charge a small amount to keep there heads above water financially, they are after all a business. Where else can you go for an entire day of nude activities? You can arrive in the early AM and stay at most places until late in the evening and do everything from have breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in the nude. You can swim, hike, bike, socialize, go to a dance. You can listen to live music from other nudist. You can spend quality time with your children and or spouse. You can go away relaxed and refreshed without having to worry if someone unwanted has seen you. You don't have to worry that someone will call the cops because they saw you nude in your yard or garded; because, it is totally accepted in the desiginated nudist resorts. All this at 25 to 30 dollars a day seems a bargin to me.

[Naturist Mark]

I am all for supporting naturist parks making a buck but I don't like the idea of being taking advantage of because of greed by park management.
You are assuming those fees are all profit. Not a reasonable assumption. Not many people getting rich running nudist resorts. Plenty going the other direction.

[Walt Iliff]

Originally posted by Naturist Mark:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I am all for supporting naturist parks making a buck but I don't like the idea of being taking advantage of because of greed by park management.
You are assuming those fees are all profit. Not a reasonable assumption. Not many people getting rich running nudist resorts. Plenty going the other direction. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for your comment Mark. As a long time member of White Tail Resort, I know that Bob Roche, the owner, isn't making a fortune personally. Bob plows every penny he can back into White Tail. We have a beautiful park/resort with more amenities than can be found at almost any other place outside of Florida, including:
Olympic size outdoor pool with a huge lounge area (recently upgraded by installing two pavillion-like shelters so that people who can't take too much sun can have a place to sit near the pool) By the way, the new chairs/lounges Bob has at the pool are a big improvement on the old ones, at a cost of several thousand dollars.
Enclosed sports pool and sauna (heated in the winter.
20 person hot tub, kept heated 24/7.
Air conditioned social hall seating up to 400 people, with adjacent game room, library, massage room, gym, tv room, and washers and dryers. The social hall/outdoor pool/indoor pool complex cost Bob pretty close to a million dollars all totalled.

So, Sawdust, if you want to go to a traditional textiled RV park and sit nude in your RV staring at the TV, the choice is yours. But the day fees that are charged by White Tail are perfectly reasonable and much less than someone would pay at a textile resort with all the amenities available. Another thing to keep in mind that if a given weekend is rainy or cool or even cloudy and day visitors don't show up (understandable), do you think that debt service expenses, staff salaries, insurance, utilities and taxes don't continue?
Bob Roche is a close personal friend, so I admit that I have some strong feelings about some person who in their abject ignorance would accuse the man of being greedy, so I would suggest once again that if someone wants to put the kind of time, effort, energy and money into a nudist venue and thinks that it can be done more inexpensively, hey, go for it. I hope you're wildly successful.

Walt Iliff

[EricNY]

Originally posted by Big-Thinker:
I'm an extreme cheapskate. I'll buy a $500+ membership to a resort maybe when I'm a millionaire :-) There's no way I'll pay so much to get into someplace nude when I can be nude at home for free.

My family can be nude at home too and we are every day, inside and out. We have a pool, a hot tub, horseshoe pits, volley ball, and we use it ALL nude.

So why would I pay?

We still go (and pay to go) several times during the summer, because one thing we can't do is meet NEW people. That is where the rubber hits the road. It is all about the people...so we gladly pay, because the friendships we have made out there have been worth every penny

[tinner666]

Last I heard it figured out, membership costs amounted to about 12-14 visits. Any other visits are 'free'. It's worth it to me nad I have a home and land I can be nude at/on.
Nude is not an event in itself. Humbug. Even Stu gets nude to bathe. Probably the only time of day he feels free.
But, to be nude socially, where you can drink coffee, hang laundry, or whatever else, and not worry about what your nude neighbor thinks of it, you need a resort, or park.

Look around at the world people. Being nude, in itself, and considering that an event, is nothing more than wishful thinking. I vist and I'm visited by friends from WTR. We are usually clothed! And comfortable in each other's company. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

[Big-Thinker]

Like I said, I'm an extreme cheapskate. I'm not saying anyone else is crazy for paying ground fees or membership fees, I'm just really, really cheap and can't justify the cost for myself right now. I did visit some resorts in Florida when I lived there, when I had a good, consistent salary. Right now I'm putting every extra penny into getting my tech-related business ambition off the ground.

D-TX, to answer your question, the only social nudism I've had in the last 2 years is with my girlfriend, who has become a "home-nudist" (with an exception for a November 2006 afternoon at Haulover beach - which is not really a sociable kinda place anyway). I'm somewhat of a reclusive nerd anyway, nude or not.

Hopefully, I'll be able to budget in resort entry or membership in my future. Actually, I wish I would have stayed at a nudist resort in Florida when I lived there, because it would have been a little cheaper than my apartment, and nobody from work was really concerned with where I lived anyway.

[usuallylurk]

Originally posted by Elendil:
I was interested to see how many of you are members of nudist clubs or resorts.



What would have surprised me at one point -- but doesn't surprise me now -- is the fact that nearly 2/3 of those responding are NOT members of a nudist group or resort or club.

Also surprising - "Too Scared to visit or join" - 0 respondents, but frankly, after some of the postings I've seen on this board, and the excuses that people give in threads and chats in here, I don't believe it.

[Bobx23456]

Originally posted by usuallylurk:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Elendil:
I was interested to see how many of you are members of nudist clubs or resorts.



What would have surprised me at one point -- but doesn't surprise me now -- is the fact that nearly 2/3 of those responding are NOT members of a nudist group or resort or club.

Also surprising - "Too Scared to visit or join" - 0 respondents, but frankly, after some of the postings I've seen on this board, and the excuses that people give in threads and chats in here, I don't believe it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I can't say that I'm surprised that only 31% said that they are members. I just read another topic where someone posted an article about ageing and declining membership at AANR resorts. One FL resort mentioned had gone from 800 members down to 250 currently. Obviously there have been many who have dropped their membership. Maybe it's the expense, maybe its the anal retentive management, maybe its the boredom, maybe its the discrimination, maybe they can now just go naked at public areas, or maybe its all of those reasons.

For whatever combination of reasons resort nudism has declined and not just at one resort. I was once an AANR member, but none of my kids have ever joined. The younger generatoin is more free and less in need of flaunting their freedom from restricton. I even learned the youthful expression "get really naked" which is different from just "get naked." Plain old fashion getting naked is just ordinary taking off your clothes, no big deal any more. If youth wants more excitement they "get really naked" which seems to imply an exposed state of mind rather than just body nudity.

Anyway, the nudist clubs aren't the only game in town and their membership numbers have declined. Some serious rethinking is needed among AANR leadership and resort owners.

Blessings
Bob

[redrocksnudist]

Not yet...

That's on my list too...

[nudebushwalker]

I've never been to a resort or a club, simply because the couple around this region are either couples-oriented or family-oriented, and so tend to keep themselves smaller and elitist, and simply aren't single-friendly.
As there wasn't a suitable choice in the questionnaire, I didn't bother - but it would have been a no, anyway..

And, was it Groucho Marx who said, "Why would I want to join a club that would have somebody like me for a member..." ?

[Rick_42]

I've joined a non-landed club that has monthly swims during the winter months and visits to area resorts during the summer. I've visited a club about an hour away that seems to be singles friendly (I'm unaccompanied, not single).

I'm currently going through some financial difficulties so membership at a resort is out of the question for a while. I am planning to join AANR/TNS as soon as I'm able to do so

[Odie]

I am just starting to transition from home nudist to social nudist. There is a non-landed club here in Jacksonville, FL. There are also a few resorts within reasonable driving distance from my home. I have not joined the club or any resort yet becasue I am taking the time to visit different places and see which one I'm most comfirtable with.

However, there is another concern I have. I am a gay male. My partner and I have been together 11 years but to many we are still inferior and disliked. Especially in the Southern Baptist state of FL. Also, he is not a nudist so my visits to resorts are alone. Therefore, I am often classified as a "single". So, a gay "single" male is not always welcome.

I do believe that the club owners could benefit by revisiting there membership and visitation guidlines. People should be evaluated based on there personalities, not there social classification. I'm not interested in having to justify myself and my life, guilty until proven innocent.

I would love to have the money to start my own resort or campground style facility. I think there are many untapped opportunities for attracting new members that the older generation of nudists are not making use of.

Experience often taints perspective.

[David77]

Originally posted by Odie:

However, there is another concern I have. I am a gay male. My partner and I have been together 11 years but to many we are still inferior and disliked. Especially in the Southern Baptist state of FL. Also, he is not a nudist so my visits to resorts are alone. Therefore, I am often classified as a "single". So, a gay "single" male is not always welcome.

I do believe that the club owners could benefit by revisiting there membership and visitation guidlines. People should be evaluated based on there personalities, not there social classification. I'm not interested in having to justify myself and my life, guilty until proven innocent.

Odie,
I notice that on the Sunnier Palms website it states that persons of all sexual orientations are welcome. Sunnier Palms is in Fort Pierce FL so you may feel that it may be a bit far for you to travel.

http://sunnier.com/guide/index.html

[NCguy49]

Originally posted by Nude and Tanned:
It is always amazing to me that some people will complain about the cost of going to or belonging to a club. When the same said people will gladly spend more money to go to theme parks, ball games or nascar races...

I put costs too much simply because it does. We don't go to local clubs because of the costs. We also don't do amusement parks, NASCAR, or any other things because of cost. Then there is the time factor. At best we could visit the local club about 4 times a year. The $30 day fee, the $40 gas cost, the $30 food and drink cost adds up to $100 a day. Being socially nude for a day is costly.

We could trim those costs some if there were any naturists within a 100 or so mile radius of us for get togethers and such. But, as many have found on this and other boards, there usually are no others close by.

[Odie]

Thanks for the info David77. Coincidently I was looking at their site a few days ago. My first visit to a resort was Sunsport Gardens becasue they also include an "everybody is welcome" statement. I was planning on going to Sunnier Palms in Sept. I guess I'll just keep hitting up differnt clubs and find out which one I'm comfortable with and join.

[David77]

Odie,
When you go to Sunnier Palms, don't expect a big sign at the entrance. The sign, in my estimation, is small and that is why I missed it and drove some miles too far. Sunnier Palms is on the north side of the highway.

I used Sunnier Palms to rest a bit and use their pool as I was driving from Orland airport to Haulover Beach.

Oh yes, congratulations on your long 11 year partnership and may you have many more happy years together.

[I. B. Nekkid]

No I'm not. I don't go enough to justify paying for membership.

[P.J.]

I'm a dues-paying member in good standing of Native Woods Naturist Park.

Unlike some other clubs and resorts, membership in AANR or TNS is not a requirement for visitors. The folks who run Native Woods Naturist Park along with all the guests that I have had the pleasure of meeting, are all friendly.

Native Woods is worth visiting!

[J,Handyman]

I have a membership in a resort and live there fulltime when I can. This resort charges $200.00 yearly for a membership and $275.00 per monthfor lot rent and utilities. The last place I rented, apartment, was $190.00 a week and no place to be nude inside or out.

[picco]

member of the local nude swim club

[nudepartime]

Although I am AANR member we do not belong to a club. We can never find enough time to visit a resort to make the yearly cost work in our favor. So we go maybe two times a year, pay the lot and daily fees and enjoy ourselves. Camping fees, Daily fees, Being out in the sun and fun with nothing but your birthday suit on for a 3 day weekend....Priceless!

[GrayWolf]

We belong to a landed club and rent a lot for our trailer. We get up there about 2 weekends per month. Well worth it to be among like minded friends and not have to fight textile campground crowds like in the past.

[luvtobenude]

We go to a non landed clubs events in the winter time, mostly indoor swims

[natureboy2]

We are not official members of Sun Shower because our schedules do not justify the cost but rather go as often as we can on a pay as you go bases.

[Rick_42]

We are not official members of Sun Shower because our schedules do not justify the cost but rather go as often as we can on a pay as you go bases.

I'm a member of The Buckeye Naturists, a non-landed club in the Columbus area. Plan to attend their winter swims and their landed club visits next summer. I enjoyed this summer's visits.

Have you been to Paradise Gardens in Cincinnati? It's a nice, friendly club. Also enjoyed Sunshower.

[dan t]

We are AANR card members but dont have a lot of free time to be members of the cuntry club we go to.
We allso go to Sunshower.