A lot of places are not even trying to attract young adults
May 19 2007, 10:51 AM
The weak presence of young adults at naturist venues can be attributed in part to the practice of many naturist resorts to target retirees and affluent empty-nest couples in their program offerings, marketing and admission policies.
In theory, naturism can persist when the last of the baby boomers have died off. But the decline of our nationwide network of family naturist venues is in fact a critical component of the naturist community.
I am not particularly a resort-type naturist, but I take a keen interest in the survival of naturism as a community.
If Mom and Pop naturist parks are closing in disturbing numbers, we will be left with the larger more expensive glitzy resorts in the sunbelt. There's a place for that, but it shuts out a huge segment of the US population to participation in social nudity.
I contend that America cannot have a viable naturist community if active naturism consists of annual trips to Florida for a three-day vacation.
The Internet offers the potential for solitary naturists to break their isolation and create community. In many areas of the country, the price of land or lack of public acceptance has made it impossible for commercial naturist resorts to meet the need of all naturists.
Sadly there are too many people waiting for someone else to do something.
I applaud those naturist venues that are waking up and beginning to attract young people, but don't expect most of them to get the message in time. There are a couple of naturist resorts that are targeting younger guests, but they are high priced resorts in the sunbelt.
The non-landed club in my area consisted largely of couples in their fifties and sixties. They had younger and single members but for whatever reason tended to drift off. I too let my membership lapse with this rather sedentary group.
About five years ago, I was invited to a pool party at the home of a friend of the non-landed club. The pool was on the very secluded property of a somewhat affluent couple and it attracted a nice mix of young adults and more senior guests. The party was a big success, but it was a one time event.
I have another friend with a lot of land who hosted naturist events, but the monthly meetings were always at her house and one or two boorish guests gave her reason to stop hosting the club.
The naturism I have seen on the Internet tends to be male-dominated even more so than in the real world.
Word of mouth still works best to create a climate that tends to attract young people and greater numbers of women.
Make no mistake, trying to win back women and young people is not going to be easy. But a lot of resorts are not even trying.
I have seen a naturist park that seems to have a good balance of families and singles, young and old.
The secret of their success seems to be having scheduled events for children and teens every week. The local families respond in such numbers that the resort can absorb the singles, including single men without creating a big inbalance.
This particular place could do more to attract college students and young adults, but they do come, drawn primarily by the sports, especially in the summer.
This resort is friendly to singles, but they also have a security officer who takes quick, restrained action against misbehavior. The community is not friendly to swinging at any time and bawdy behavior is frowned on poolside during the day. This place, (no names please) seems a bit out of line at night, but it tends to be middle-aged and older couples after dark. The young folks tend to predominate on the weekends during the day.
This is a real concern for me. I still fit the younger age group (not by much) and if I am to go to a campground or resort I would really like for it be family friendly enough that my children (all under 10) will not be the only children there. That would be quite boring for them. I have looked over a number of AANR places and nearly all have a playground, but I sincerely doubt from everything I read they all have children. So I do I know for sure before planning a visit? Add to that the anonymous nature of so many on the internet (understandably so, esp. for me) and when others talk about one that does have families with children there, you have a lot of difficulty deciphering where that one would be.
I live in north Georgia and I know of a place that has had as many as 50 children on a summer Saturday. If you are within driving distance of north Georgia, let me know and I'll discuss this with you privately.
I am favorably impressed with White Tail Park in southeastern Virginia.
We have other members who can share their experiences if you'd be so bold as to discuss what part of the USA you live in.
Sure, I live in the central portion, more or less, of Illinois. Georgia is a good days drive. It would be more do-able if I were not a minister, but who knows, maybe a good summer vacation trip - Though I am still strongly considering a visit to the midwest CNC for that.
By all means, come to CNC if you can! I'll be helping with the music and some great people are helping with the worship. We'd all love to meet you in person.
I am sure you and your children would enjoy a weekend at Serendipity Park in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains. By the way, there is a lot to do in our mountain towns and there are miles of trails for nature lovers. But that still doesn't address what I see as a need that we all have for a place closer to home where you can really get plugged in, make friends and build community.
I know little about Illinois directly, but I hear stories that family naturism is fairly strong at many Midwest naturist resorts. I'll let our friends in that area tell you more.
Midwest CNC sounds great. I hope you can see your way to attend.
