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Naturist resorts and communities exist on a spectrum without sharp distinctions – a naturist resort might be primarily commercial in focus but also accommodate some permanent residents, while a naturist community might be primarily residential but also cater to some paying visitors. Some naturist resorts and communities require nudity as a condition of remaining on the site; others are clothing-optional, allowing people to wear clothing so long as they tolerate others going nude.
Naturists adopted volleyball shortly after its invention in the late 19th century. Records of regular games in clubs can be found as early as the 1920s. By the 1960s, a volleyball court could be found in almost all naturist resorts. A large nude volleyball tournament (over 70 teams) has been held each autumn since 1971 at White Thorn Lodge in western Pennsylvania and several smaller tournaments occur each year throughout North America.
Historically, most naturist clubs and resorts refused entry to men who were not accompanied by women, and these restrictions still remain in many places. Many naturist clubs and resorts have rules against , although an increasing number are relaxing them in practice. Most clubs have restrictions on ; at the loosest, it is forbidden to photograph adults without their permission or children other than one’s own. For reasons, nude persons are required to cover furniture with a towel before sitting on it.
How about the efforts of individual naturists? In a few cases, local naturist groups have gained official acceptance for clothing-optional use of local beaches. Haulover Beach in Miami is probably the best example. In some other cases, beaches where clothing-optional use has long been traditional have gained official status. Yet many other beaches where nude use was popular in the 1970s and early 1980s have seen sharp declines in naturist visitors – or else have been closed entirely for naturist use. This certainly isn’t success either.
These are very conservative estimates. A conducted for NEF (the ) found (Question 8) that 28% of poll respondents “would consider going nude at a clothing-optional beach if you knew it was safe and legal”. But even the very conservative 1% estimate of potential naturists implies there could be far more local naturist organizations than there actually are.
