A first visit to a naturist resort is a day of swimming, sunbathing and small talk with people who happen not to be wearing anything. The only parts that feel unfamiliar are the first ten minutes at the gate and the walk from the car to the pool, and both are easier than you expect.
Before you arrive
Pick a resort from the resort directory and read its listing. The three things to check are whether day visitors are welcome, whether singles are admitted, and whether the resort is clothing-optional on the grounds or nude-required everywhere. Most established American clubs, including the Florida resorts listed under Florida resorts, take walk-in day visitors with no reservation. Cypress Cove in Kissimmee, for example, says no phone call is needed: a gate attendant takes your details and sends first-timers to the office for a tour.
Bring photo ID. Many resorts run a quick background check on first-time visitors; Lake Como in Lutz, Florida lists a $20 charge that covers the check and the grounds fee for the first day. This is normal and it is one of the reasons resorts feel safer than beaches.
Check-in and the tour
You arrive dressed. The office or gate house is a clothed space on almost every property, and nobody expects you to undress until you have found your spot. Staff will explain the layout, the rules and where the nude-required areas are. Take the tour even if you feel confident; it tells you where the showers, the restaurant and the quiet lawns are, and it is where you ask any question you have been nervous about.
Most resorts rent lockers, and most visitors simply leave their clothes in the car. Once you walk out of the office with your towels and your bag, you are a member of the resort for the day.
The towel rule
Carry a towel and sit on it. Every chair, bench, bar stool and pool lounger gets your own towel under you. This is the one rule that is enforced by everyone, members included, and it is the easiest way to show the regulars that you read the etiquette before you came. Our nude beach etiquette guide covers the same rule for the sand; at a resort it applies indoors too.
The pool
The pool is the center of resort life and it is usually the one place where nudity is required rather than optional. Caliente in Land O' Lakes, which markets itself as clothing-optional, still requires nudity in its pool areas; Oaklake Trails in Oklahoma requires it at the pools, hot tub and sauna. The reason is hygiene and fairness: a swimsuit in a nude pool makes everyone else feel watched. If you want to ease in, sit on the lawn or the deck first and swim when you are ready.
Meals, bars and clothed areas
Restaurants and bars vary. Some are fully clothing-optional, some ask for a cover-up at the table, and almost all ask you to be seated on a towel. The listing or the tour will tell you. Evening events, dances and themed parties often have their own dress note, which can mean anything from "come as you are" to a costume theme; a sarong in your bag covers every case.
Day pass versus membership
A day pass is the right choice for a first visit. In 2026 a large Florida resort charges roughly $30 to $40 per adult for a full day, with cheaper evening rates after 5 or 6 pm, and both Cypress Cove and Lake Como give a discount to members of a national nudist organization. Membership makes sense once you are going more than a handful of times a year: it drops or removes the daily fee and usually unlocks overnight stays, RV sites and events.
What AANR and TNS mean on a listing
The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) is the club and resort federation that traces itself to 1931 and is based in Kissimmee, Florida; it affiliates clubs, resorts and campgrounds across North America. The Naturist Society (TNS), founded in 1980 by Lee Baxandall in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is the beach-oriented membership organization whose motto is "body acceptance is the idea, nude recreation is the way." A resort that lists either affiliation has agreed to that body's conduct standards, and a membership card from either usually earns you the affiliated day rate.
How people behave
- Eyes up. Glance, make eye contact, talk. Staring is the fastest way to be noticed for the wrong reason.
- No photography. Phones stay in bags around the pool. Most resorts ban cameras in common areas outright and will ask you to leave if you point one at anyone.
- Families are normal. Naturist resorts in the United States are family places. Behave as you would at a relative's backyard pool.
- Nothing sexual. Naturism is non-sexual by definition, and resorts enforce that line without debate. If you are looking for something else, you are at the wrong kind of venue; our guide to the difference between naturist, clothing-optional and lifestyle resorts explains how to tell them apart from the listing.
Leaving
Dress at your car or in the locker room, not at the pool. Sign the guest book if there is one, and tell the office if you plan to come back; many resorts credit a first day pass toward a membership taken out within a few weeks.
Finding the right resort
Browse naturist resorts by state and country, start with the clubs in Florida if you want the largest choice, and read what members near you say about their home club on their profiles. Most local groups organize first-timer days where you arrive with people you have already met, which takes most of the nerves out of the gate.