10 great places to leave the swimsuit at home
Here’s an article from USA Today about what they think are the world’s ten best skinny-dipping spots.
10 great places to leave the swimsuit at home
Don’t look now, but nude recreation is more widespread than you think: 40 million Americans have skinny-dipped in mixed company, according to a Roper poll, and a YPB&R/Yankelovich Partners travel survey revealed that vacationers rated access to nude recreation higher than golf or tennis in choosing a destination. American Association for Nude Recreation president John Kinman recommends top clothing- optional beaches to BuzzyGordon for USA TODAY.
Little Beach
Maui, Hawaii
“Makena State Park, on the island of Maui, can lay claim to two stunning beaches: Big Beach and clothing-optional Little Beach,” Kinman says. “The nude beach continues to thrive because the local community recognizes the positive economic impact of naturist travelers from the mainland U.S. and Europe.” littlebeachmaui.com
Wreck Beach
Vancouver, British Columbia
“Wreck Beach, Canada’s first and largest legal clothing-optional beach, is so spectacularly beautiful that it is a mecca for tourists from all over the world,” Kinman says. “The confluence of the Fraser River with the Straits of Georgia and English Bay, under white cliffs and an emerald-green forest, attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually.”
Cap d’Agde
France
Cap d’Agde, on the Vermeille coast of south-central France, has earned the sobriquet of the World’s Capital of Nudism. In the “naturist quarter” of this resort town on the Mediterranean Sea, nudity is legal not only on the beach, but also in banks, restaurants and shops. Too much of a good thing? Just head down the road. “Nearly every beach in southern France is topless,” Kinman says. www.capdagde.com
Hawksbill Bay
Antigua
The Caribbean island of Antigua is said to have 365 beaches, one for every day in the year. “For a nudist beach, check out the crescent-shaped coves of scenic Hawksbill Bay, one of which is clothing-optional,” Kinman says. “Some of the secluded Ffreyes Bay beaches are unofficially clothing-optional.”
Haulover Beach
Miami Beach
The northern end of Haulover Beach is a clothing-optional “good-citizen” success story: a nudist-lobbying campaign reclaimed a park infested with drug dealers. “As a city facility, Haulover has great amenities, including barbecue grills, refreshment stands and lifeguards,” Kinman says. Not to mention 1 million visitors a year. 305-947-3525; miamidade.gov/parks/parks/haulover_park.asp and miamidade.gov/parks/Heritage/haulover/signs.htm
Gunnison Beach
Sandy Hook, N.J.
Gunnison Beach is one of several beaches in northern New Jersey’s Gateway National Recreation Area, on the Sandy Hook peninsula. Boasting a panoramic view of New York Harbor and lower Manhattan, Gunnison is legally recognized as clothing optional, with official signs, a lifeguard and police protection. “As the largest clothing-optional beach on the Atlantic coast of the United States, Gunnison draws more than 5,000 visitors a day on sunny summer weekends,” Kinman says. gunnisonbeach.org
Collins Beach/Rooster Rock
Columbia River, Ore.
The “Mighty Columbia” near Portland is host to two clothing-optional beaches, both of which can fill up on sunny days: Rooster Rock State Park, the country’s first officially designated clothing-optional beach, and Collins Beach on Sauvie Island, where some 75% of the users go nude or topless, while the rest choose to wear suits. “The crowd of friendly people here creates a true community atmosphere,” says Kinman, an Oregon resident himself. Collins Beach: 503-621-3488. Rooster Rock: 800-551-6949; oregonstateparks.org/park_175.php
Orient Bay
St. Martin
Orient Bay, on the French side of the island of St. Martin-St. Maarten, is a popular destination for naturist vacationers, thanks to its proximity to Grand Case, considered by many to be the gourmet capital of the Caribbean for its mingling of French, Dutch and West Indian cuisines. “Although the clothing-optional beach is right in front of the Club Orient Resort, one need not be a guest of the hotel to bathe there,” Kinman says.
Samurai Beach
Port Stephens, Australia
Within the bounds of Tomaree National Park, about 120 miles north of Sydney, lies ruggedly unspoiled Samurai Beach, one of the first legal nude beaches Down Under. “Samurai Beach is famous in the naturist world for hosting the annual Nude Olympics every November, with events like the Nude Torch Relay,” Kinman says.
Black’s Beach
San Diego
“Black’s Beach is a breathtaking one-mile stretch of state-controlled coastline, where nude and suited sunbathers can enjoy views of porpoises riding distant breakers and hang gliders soaring from cliffs above,” Kinman says of this clothing-optional beach just north of San Diego. “Black’s Beach has never officially been designated as clothing-optional,” he adds, “but authorities acknowledge that nude bathers will not be hassled.” Caution: Physical access to the beach is daunting because of the steep grade. sandiego.gov/lifeguards/beaches/blacks.shtml or blacksbeach.org
