The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: July eighth, vacationing in the nude.

Today is the start of the 27th annual national Nude Recreation Week. But enjoying the outdoors without clothes has been popular since nudity was normal attire for homo sapiens. Naturist movements are firmly established in most well-inhabited corners of the planet, and a few that aren't.

From Puritan times through the Woodstock Generation to today, this country's attitude toward nudism has been, well, on again and off again. Hundreds of naturist movements have enjoyed their time in the sun, and skinny-dipping down by the old mill stream has long been a youthful rite of passage. On the other hand, it tends to be illegal, at least in most public places

But nudism is really taking off. The World Guide to Nude Beaches and Recreation lists hundreds of discrete, clothing- optional camps, clubs, resorts, and beaches, across the U.S. and around the world. Millions of families and individuals of all ages, shapes, sizes, and walks of life have learned to appreciate the joys of recreation free of both garments and shame. Some zealots claim that people can only truly relax after they lose their clothes-compulsive anxieties. Other nudists just enjoy playing in the sunshine with no clothes. Go figure. At any rate, clothing- optional beaches can be less sexually-charged than ones that reveal themselves in bikinis and thongs.

Federal law, for the most part, is neutral on the issue of nude recreation, when conducted with discretion and sensitivity to the varying values of others. That's a philosophical tenet of the Naturist Society.

Back to July 2002 Main

Look through the list of fascinating places and off-beat features we’ve covered. Search text versions of past episodes and articles in our archives.