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Hey does anyone here go to White Tail Park in Ivor, VA? (southeastern va) its a nice place and im gonna be taking a visit there soon this spring...maybe as soon as this weekend. does anyone else go there regularly?
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Hey does anyone here go to White Tail Park in Ivor, VA? (southeastern va) its a nice place and im gonna be taking a visit there soon this spring...maybe as soon as this weekend. does anyone else go there regularly? -
Mike,
WTP is a very nice resort. A new outdoor pool is great, but not open yet... unless you reeeeally like cold water. The new office should be about finished if it isn't already. The old sports pool, now indoor pool is very nice. If you stay for a dance, the dance hall is the largest hall in southampton county! And as always, the people out there are what makes WTP the great place it is. We don't get there as much as we used to, but we get out when we can. Enjoy your day out there. I know you'll be back.
kenComment
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I've been waiting for a good weekend to go. Maybe Apr. 16? Lately, it seems to be great from Monday until Thursday, then the weather goes downhill.
It is a great place, though. I'm a member, but they are definitely making more money off me. I don't go there enough to break even on the day charge. But the convenience of not having to make reservations is nice.
I agree with everything ken said. If you want to PM me, we could meet up at WTP.
Bob S.Comment
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Hello, I'm interested in bringing a friend out to WTP for her first "Nude outside experience" she has expressed concern about her nipple rings. Can anyone tell me, are they allowed at WTP ? I don't want to offend any mbrs, guests ect....Nor do I wish to put her in a bad situation. An "official" opinion would be pricelesst to a newbie Im sure.Comment
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Hi RunninBare,
Nipple rings are ok at the park....genital piercing isn't. So come on down...and welcome.
Walt Iliff
Check out the website at: http://www.whitetailpark.org/Comment
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I was a member there for several years until the military made me move from the area. Lots a great people and great facilities. I know you'll enjoy it!
JohnComment
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The new indoor pool is great. We visited a couple of times last winter. It is a real treat to go skinnydipping when the temperature is 40 degrees outside:
Visit White Tail Park's website at:
http://www.whitetailpark.org/Comment
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The following article appeared in the September 14, 2005 issue of The Smithfield Times:
Our Nude Neighbors
A little piece of paradise exists where chests bare all and legs roam uninhibited. White Tail Park is a top-notch clothing-free sanctuary for all ages. The only nudist-facility in all of Virginia is in Isle of Wight County’s backyard.
Somewhere in Ivor … fashion doesn’t matter
Editor’s note: The last names of many of the sources in the story have been withheld to protect the individual’s privacy.
By Joseph Gidjunis
Staff writer
IVOR - They’re too sexy for their shirts, too sexy for their shorts and too sexy, of course, for their underwear. Socks, hats and towels, however, are okay to cover sunburned skin.
Every day is a good day to be nude. All nude. All the time.
Less than two miles off of Route 460, nearly 50 acres of nudity is tucked away in a corner of Ivor, and its deceivingly called White Tail Park.
White Tail Park owner Bob Roche reassures everyone that the name doesn’t have a double meaning, no matter how many times his residents and visitors joke that it’s easy to spot a “newbie” based on how pale their behinds are.
Roche insists the name comes from the species of deer he spotted on the land when he visited the property for the first time. But that was more than 20 years ago.
Now White Tail Park is a fully functioning family resort featuring facilities for sports, relaxation and lounging.
Several hundred individuals call White Tail their home year round. On weekends, several hundred more call it their vacation spot. On holidays, that number often exceeds 1,000 guests who bring campers, recreational vehicles or tents to the grounds.
Just don’t get the wrong impression that all of these naked bodies everywhere automatically leads to something erotic.
“Sex and nudism are two different things. One has nothing to do with the other,” said Kim Winkler, a White Tail resident and staff member for more than a decade. “Nudism is acceptance. It doesn’t have anything to do with what you wear, what you do, what color you are, or your sexual choice.”
“It just has to do with acceptance, everyone is beautiful here, “ she added.
Define nudism
“Don’t think of it as a grown bunch of people without clothes,” Shirley said.
Nudists aren’t part of any cults and don’t claim to have unorthodox beliefs. To them, it’s natural.
“A nudist is not different than the people in the clothing world,” Shirley said. “It lets you have total freedom.”
She added that she just wants to be less confined and more accepting of those around her.
Others said they couldn’t bring many of their friends or family to the facility because they wouldn’t know how to behave. But recruiting is necessary in order to survive.
A retired sailor with 23 years in the service, Brian used to own a home in Virginia Beach with his wife. But a dinner party two years ago at White Tail with some friends made Brian and his wife sell the house and move to the park.
“The people in that atmosphere … I felt camaraderie that I hadn’t felt since I left the service,” Brian said. “They are a great bunch of people.”
What is missing other than the clothes, is social presumption.
“There is no class distinction out there other than jewelry,” Winkler said. “I don’t know if anyone has money around me unless they show it with their jewelry.”
The social equality is important, said Frank, 57, John, 61, and 35-year-old Bart.
“Everybody is equal,” John said. “There are no fashion statements.”
On the outside world, Shirley said there are right things to do, but that isn’t a factor at the facility.
“Out there, you have to wear the right fashions and be at the right places.”
But nudists feel clothes often blind people to what someone is really about.
Besides, Roche jokes, “The best dressed nudists wear a smile.”
Taboo
Austin Powers wouldn’t make it past the gate.
“There are swingers out there,” Roche said. “We generally screen them out over the phone - That is not what we’re all about.”
How does Roche define a swinger?
“Swapping partners or whatever you want to call it. That does happen somewhere, but not here,” he said. “If you try that, we’ll kick you out.”
That means keeping your eyes off the goods.
“Watch eyes and facial expressions. It’s not polite to sit there and stare,” Roche added. “If they do, they’re here for the wrong reasons.”
Eyes will wander. It’s natural. Just don’t go below the neck on women or below the hips for men.
In some ways, White Tail is more conservative than most public places that allow people to wear whatever they want.
The facility doesn’t serve alcohol, even though it is allowed on the property. Roche said serving alcohol would change the dynamic of the club, and might deter some families from calling it home.
But the real big no-no’s are public displays of affection.
“Any open display of sexuality is totally inappropriate,” Roche said.
Not sitting on your towel or wearing sunscreen is also nudist taboo, said White Tail resident and staff member Lisa Henderson.
“Places that haven’t seen the sun burn faster than those that have,” Lisa said.
The “size matters” cliché is not necessarily taboo, but it’s unimportant.
“No, I’m not intimidated by the size of Kim’s chest,” Shirley said. “Think of this as if you were a blind person.”
Family-oriented resort
“We have excellent security,” Roche said.
Roche explains that security is important to the residents and there are security guards on site with former police as residents because everyone needs to feel comfortable at the resort.
Lisa chimed in, “We even have undercover security.”
They always laugh when she says that.
“Where would you conceal your gun?” Winkler asks laughing.
“I don’t know,” Lisa responds. “There’s no place to hide or wear the concealed weapon permit.”
“We’ve got the solution for homeland security,” Kim Shouts.
Everyone knows what’s coming next.
“Just have everyone walk through the metal detectors naked!”
It’s priceless.
The facility has come a long way from a small tractor path to what is now White Tail Drive. The 22-year-old facility is on about 20 acres, but with nearly 30 to spare, Roche said he has plans to construct 44 motel units on the property. The only problem is a lack of sewer hookup, but Roche said he is working with the country to find a sewage solution.
“I don’t think people can conceive what a nudist park is until you’ve been to one,” Shirley said.
White Tail Park is equipped with 150 campsites and 29 mobile home sites with a gated security system.
Once inside, sports facilities for all ages, sizes and abilities inundate the senses: basketball courts, paddle ball areas, shuffleboard, pool tables, sand volleyball pits, air hockey, an outdoor Olympic-size swimming pool, an indoor swimming pool, a 12-seat hot tub, a 4000 square foot recreation wing and massage parlor.
Scattered around the smoke-free indoor rooms with wooden tables and 60’s-style tablecloths are many pieces of nude art. Kim said many have been donated to Roche as a gift of gratitude for operating the resort.
Each June, the park sponsor a large nudist art show and Roche said creative painters and photographers come from around the nation to sell their work.
And don’t worry about the children either.
“The kids grow up with so much confidence,” Frank said.
“These kids are everyone’s kids. They’re always being watched as if they were your own,” John added.
Nudist expansion
Between the cruises, real estate, resorts, and merchandise, nude recreation has become a $400 million a year industry, according to a 2003 Forbes Magazine story.
“That doesn’t include Caliente, the new mega resort in Land O’Lakes, Fla.,” said Carolyn Hawkins, a spokesperson for American Association for Nude Recreation. “We’re way above that now.”
There are more than 270 nudist groups throughout the U.S. and Canada; about half are “landed “sites such as White Tail. The other half are traveling groups that set up temporary camps and facilities, Hawkins said.
White Tail Park is the only nudist facility in Virginia.
There are “landed” sites in many neighboring states including ones in New Bern and Reidsville, N.C. There is nearly one travel group in every state. They often visit landed sites as a group. Florida bears much of the national nudist population with about 25 regional organizations.
To be a member of AANR, White Tail must maintain certain standards: outside hot and cold showers, a good family reputation, a clubhouse for activities and some sort of food service area.
At White Tail, an upscale snack bar serves everything that a movie theater or baseball park offers. And at the moment, White Tail is hiring. You don’t have to be naked either.
According to health code regulations, snack bar workers must wear clothing.
“We’ve had nothing but good reports from White Tail Park,” Hawkins said. “it’s one of our more rustic clubs, and it’s laid back, and I really enjoy my visits. I was there last year and the people were so friendly and very cooperative.”
Epidermal exposure benefits
Many of White Tail’s guests openly refer to it as a “paradise.”
John and Bart had recently visited Myrtle Beach, S.C. for a vacation. They wanted to try some place different. They said it was nice, but keep returning to White Tail.
To explain his love for nudism, Harold offered comparisons.
“I think it goes back to an earlier time. Neighbors were close, but we got away from that. Now everyone is looking at their neighbors through gates,” he said. “This is an oasis. Like golf, you leave all of your troubles behind. It’s just a good relaxing time.”
Frank, John and Bart said knowing their community drew them in too.
“You can live at home and don’t know neighbors two doors down, but here, we know everyone. It’s like a small community.”
Roche said obvious benefits include lower laundry bills since all he washes are socks and towels. He only occasionally washes a hat or an outfit. After all, he does go out like everyone else.
Even so, Roche couldn’t go back to the clothing life. He hated clothes as far back as he can remember.
“Bobby, put your clothes on,” his parents often yelled.
Now as a nudist, he gets the biggest perk of all.
“I get my own room when I go home for family visits because they know I’m going to sleep nude.”Comment
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The following pictures accompanied the September 14, 2005 article in The Smithfield Times:
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The September 14, 2005 article in The Smithfield Times included the following sidebar about the legal status of the AANR youth camp at White Tail Park:
Nudists fight for teen summer camp
By Joseph Gidjunis
Staff writer
Roche was handed a small victory in July by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in his fight to create an annual youth summer camp and leadership academy at the park. The camp was based on similar camps in two other states.
Roche and AANR-East, a regional group associate with AANR started the camp for kids 11 to 18 in 2003 at White Tail and after its success advertised it for 2004. The Virginia General Assembly, however, passed a bill that same year banning such camps in the state without direct supervision of the campers by a family member or guardian, according to court documents.
As with nearly all summer camps, the benefit for working parents is to drop their children off and leave. With nearly no guardians able to stay with their children during the duration of the camp, Roche decided to cancel the camp and refund the money and declare in court that the law was unconstitutional, citing a breach of First Amendment speech and privacy, documents said.
The American Civil Liberties Union has been representing the parties.
White Tail described the camps as including educational and recreational activities.
While Roche could operate the camp with supervision, more than half of the campers signed up could not obtain the proper daily supervision required under state law. Roche sought a preliminary injunction from the courts last July to allow him to operate the camp without the additional guardian supervision until a final decision about the camp’s fate was reached by the courts.
With just four days to go before the camp’s start, Roche cancelled the camp and surrendered its permit because the U.S. District Court in Richmond did not grant the injunction.
AANR-East and White Tail continued to seek damages and declare the general assembly’s law unconstitutional.
Since Roche cancelled the camp, the District Court declared that AANR-East and White Tail had no case because it suffered no damages. The 4th U.S. Circuit court of Appeals, however, reversed the District Court’s decision that its case was moot this past July.
AANR-East is still fighting the case, which has been remanded to the District Court so that this camp could be held at White Tail in the future.
Roche, who has since left the AANR-East President post, said he is not sure what will happen, nor if any future camp will be held at his facility.Comment
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