While the expansive views of the ferry ride and beach are beautiful, a naturist adventure here will take up most of the day. First, you have to book a ticket on the Capt. Pete ferry which is operated by Ship Island Excursions. They’ve been ferrying people back and forth for almost 100 years. Their dock is located at the Gulfport Yacht Harbor in Jones Park in Gulfport, MS. Trips to the island are available from mid-March to October. As of 2022, the cost for a single ticket for the 22 mile round trip is approximately $43. The ferry ride to the island takes around one hour. There is a small selection of drinks and snacks available on the ferry. There are also separate bathrooms for men and women.

The process for buying my ticket, parking at the dock, and getting onto the vessel went smoothly. I thought it was all handled professionally and was a pleasant experience. I showed up around 45 minutes before departure and secured a close parking spot. I waited with others for the dock gate to open. I had been emailed a digital ferry ticket that could be scanned by the boarding agent. But they just asked me what my name was and let me through without seeing the ticket. I assume this works in most cases unless you have a very common name. I would estimate there were around 50 people riding the ferry when I went in September. There were quite a few families. A lot of the ticket holders seemed to be from the general area. There were some tourists with foreign accents. Most of the people seemed to enjoy the boat ride. There were a couple instances of dolphins near the boat. There were also quite a few seagulls which enjoyed flying alongside the ferry. They would glide along the length of the boat, circle out, and fly back in. The ferry seemed to be adequately staffed by people wearing a company shirt. There were also life jackets stored underneath the rows of seats in case of an emergency. We arrived at the island dock after an hour or so. The first building I passed was Fort Massachusetts. I was focused on getting pictures and video of the naturist experience, so I skipped touring the fort. I ended up being the first person to leave the main beachfront. I was also the first to take my all my clothes off.

When I first set out on my walk east, I planned on reaching the end of the island. The idea was to get to the tip, lay down and relax, and walk back to the dock. As it turned out, it takes too long to walk the length of the island and safely get back for the 2:30pm departure time. I arrived on the beach around 10:15am but wanted to get food on my way back. If it had been a couple months before and I chose a 5pm departure, I could have easily walked the length of the island with time to spare. I traversed around 70% of the length of the island. Even though it was in the fall, it was quite hot. It’s a good thing I brought a bottle of sun lotion. If I hadn’t, I would have been toast. This is actually a barrier island and can help protect the inland coastline. In 1969, Hurricane Camille tore through and separated the island into east and west pieces. From 2019 to 2020, the US Army Corps of Engineers executed the Ship Island Restoration Project. They put tons of sand in between the two halves of the island to restore it as one land mass. This was the reason I was able to walk the majority of the island. The thing that surprised me the most about the landscape was how much trash had washed up on shore. I found everything from bottles to shoes to a chair! That was quite disappointing. Otherwise, the views were spectacular. You can see amazing cloud formations in their entirety, lots of shells, plant life, birds, and crabs running in and out of the ocean.

As you can see in the above picture, it’s a peaceful place with nobody around. In fact, the only other naturists I encountered were a couple who set up chairs and an umbrella after the visible bend of the island. I would estimate it took them 25 minutes to walk to where they were. I saw them on my way back. We waved to each other. If I had more time, I would have stopped by and talked with them. I was eager to get back and get something to eat and drink before departure. I had worn hiking boots with arch support. The sand was quite hot and I walked for hours. I applied my sun lotion twice. I also had three bottles of water. I ended up using all of them during my visit. If you are going here as a family, I would recommend walking around 20 minutes to the left of the main setup of blue chairs and umbrellas and find a spot. You’ll be far enough where you won’t be bothering the textiles. There’s really not any need to walk further than that with kids. Also, you will be fairly close to the snacks and bathrooms. Before I boarded the ferry back to the mainland, I grabbed a grilled chicken wrap and a drink at the snack bar. The price and service were good. If you don’t mind spending most of the day to travel and relax in the sun, this is a great location for naturists. I would definitely recommend at least going here once. I give Ship Island a B+ rating.

The post Review: Ship Island appeared first on Natural Nomad.

The Ledges was the first destination on my naturist wish list. I had read many positive reviews on Tripadvisor and other sites from both one time visitors and regulars. I drove there via Brattleboro. The trip ended up being bumpier than expected. The main route was being dug up and repaved. In fact, the temporary gravel was so rough, I ended up with vibration related damage to my vehicle. I’m sure the roadway has been finished at this point. I went to visit on a holiday. This wasn’t the smartest move. When I arrived, there were only a few spots left and people started parking on the side of Wards Beach Access Road. That is the road in and out of the recreation area. I would estimate the combined capacity of the upper and lower lots is ~100 vehicles. Both lots will be on your right when you get to the end of the road. There is also a part of the lower lot that is on the left side. The first lot is the upper one and is the larger parking lot. Since there was no good marked map of The Ledges for naturists, I have made one. You can look it over below.

My visit to The Ledges took place in the summer. The best months to go are May to September. If you go around July and will be there for most of the day, I would recommend wearing some sunscreen. There are quite a few shady spots, but you’ll want to be right at the waterfront for sunbathing. There are all kinds of people visiting here. This includes singles, couples, families, and friends. During my trip here, there were more men than women and the ages ranged from 20s to 70s. For the average person, it should take around 12 minutes to walk from the parking lots to the naturist area. The trail from the clothed area leads to a spot with stepping stones which go across water at the edge of the woods. Next, you will arrive at the sign posted by the Friends of The Ledges naturist group that notifies you of the nude area ahead. This can be seen in the photo below.

I had done some research online before embarking on the drive to this oasis in the Vermont forest. Believe it or not, Vermont is one of the only states in America where public nudity is legal. This is one of the reasons why you can have the waterfront be split between clothed and clothing optional right next to each other. In fact, when I was sunbathing, textiles on paddle boards and small boats crossed over to the nude side. They were able to freely see friendly people enjoying the day while nude. At one point, I was sunbathing on the left side of the shoreline. Right around the separating bend, there was a pair of textile friends in their bathing suits enjoying the day. Nobody minded that our side was nude and their side wasn’t. There was really nothing to worry about. When you’re living the natural life, you have nothing to hide. When textiles see you nude, they’re just seeing the real you. The naturists I encountered were nice. I exchanged greetings with a number of folks. I was surprised at the number of friends hanging out together.

As you can see in the image on the left, the waterfront view is incredible. The forest surrounding the reservoir is lush and rolling in height. The sun shimmers on the calm water. There are many flat rocks you can sit and lie down on along the shoreline. There are also hiking trails which go north until you reach private property. When you get to the end of the main trail, there is a sign which states that “Clothing is required beyond this point.” If you do hike, watch your step. There are lots of rocks and roots. Overall, I would give The Ledges an A rating!

The post Review: The Ledges appeared first on Natural Nomad.

I was traveling around Florida and there was one must see attraction for me: Haulover Beach! Millions of people visit this Miami shoreline every year and I wanted to be one of them. The white sand paired with the beautiful view of the Atlantic make for a relaxing experience. The beach lies along Collins Ave (Florida State Rd A1A) which is where you’ll find luxury condo towers like The Ritz Carlton Residences, Turnberry, and Oceania. The parking lot that is directly across from the nude section of the beach is at 15548 Collins Ave in front of the Haulover Marine Center. There is plenty of parking. The beach opens at 8AM. You cannot pay for parking until then. I went on a weekday morning right after it opened. It cost $6.27 for the whole day! I think that’s a great deal. For comparison, it costs $15 per day during peak season at Gunnison Beach. As indicated in the picture above, you pay via the PayByPhone app on your smartphone. The app is available on both Android and Apple. You just enter in your information and add a credit or debit card to use for payment. You will need to turn on your location so the app can see you are at that parking lot. As long as you are within the posted hours of the beach, you will be able to pay. There is a parking lot patrol that checks each vehicle to make sure they have paid. When you enter in your information into the app, you must list your license plate number. This is how your payment is checked on the ground. The app will ask you for your location code. The code for Haulover Nude Beach parking is 46253.

Once you pay and get your beach items together, you’ll head through the #5 pedestrian tunnel which goes underneath Collins Ave. After you pass through, you’ll pass the restrooms which are in an oval shaped building. From there, walk across the paved walkway slightly to the right. Go down that path. The next thing you’ll see are the beach showers to your left. From there, just walk onto the beach. At this point, you are allowed to disrobe.

You’ll notice lifeguard stands, short wooden fences, and posted signs. There are different sections of Haulover Beach. The section past the wooden fence to your left is the part that goes in front of the luxury towers. That is a regular clothed beach. The area directly in front of the tunnel is the clothing optional part. After the fence to the right, you get to the main clothed section of the beach. The clothing optional section is open to all ages. This part of the beach lies between lifeguard stands #12 and #16. On most days, there is a snack stand. You can also rent a chair for $10 and an umbrella for $15.

Upon first setting foot on the beach, I was impressed by the length of the nude area. There is quite a bit of room. Since I was there just after open, there were only 15 or so other visitors there. I got there early so I could take pictures and record a short episode for my documentary series. The landscape and ocean views are great. As you can see in the photo of me on the left, the beach is next to the luxury tower buildings. The thought had crossed my mind of what the residents think of living within view of a nudist beach. I’m sure a lot of them have been living there for years and are used to seeing nude people from a short distance. Some of them probably go to the nude section. You’ll also notice the lifeguard stand. There are three groups who patrol the beach area: lifeguards, police, and Beach Ambassadors. The latter group are volunteers with South Florida Free Beaches. They can be identified as those wearing a teal colored safari hat with the S.F.F.B. logo and an ID. They talk to visitors and give them information about Haulover and acceptable behavior there.

Haulover is different from some other nude beaches in that it is right off of a busy road. There are all kinds of towers as well nearby stores and restaurants. As you can see in the photo on the right, there is dense foliage which blocks viewing the beach from the street. This beach has everything you need with close parking, chairs and umbrellas for rent, snacks close by, showers, bathrooms, and lifeguards. In my opinion, the best thing about Haulover is that it is family friendly. That’s so important for the future survival of the American naturist movement. Adults need to have a beach like this where they can bring their kids. The younger generation can go here and see how positive and comfortable the naturist lifestyle is. Over a million people visit this beach every year and that includes those from all kinds of backgrounds. Even folks from other countries make it a point to visit here. Haulover’s great reputation is well earned. I give this beach an A+ rating!

The post Review: Haulover Clothing Optional Beach appeared first on Natural Nomad.