Over a decade ago, Steve Hillebrand was a workaholic. His girlfriend wanted to do something different for Hillebrand’s birthday, and settled on a weekend at Sunny Rest Resort in Palmerton, Carbon County.
It was “life-changing.”
“As I came here, it’s like ‘Oh my god, I have to live life again,’ ” he said.
A Long Island, New York, resident, he now has a permanent residence at the resort.
Once, he said, he went to a party he was invited to at someone else’s camp. After an hour and a half of not seeing the host, he realized he had shown up to the wrong party, but nobody cared.
“This is a place where, while the whole world is going crazy, everybody gets along here,” Hillebrand said.
He loves the friendly community at Sunny Rest so much that he’s making a documentary about it.
The resort has a pool with a bar, sports courts and a calendar full of summer events. And when you wake up in the morning, you don’t have to get dressed.
“I can’t do that in Long Island,” Hillebrand said.
Sunny Rest is just one of many clothing-optional and nudist camps within driving distance of the Lehigh Valley taking reservations this summer. Those who visit may get to experience the freeing feeling and welcoming community that resort owners and guests say keep people coming back.
The nudist lifestyle invites people of all shapes, sizes and statuses to connect, according to Sunny Rest owner Halsie Bowers.
“When people are nude, it strips away their social status,” Bowers said. “People don’t know what anybody here does for a living or how much money they have, and people really get to know each other for who they really are inside.”
Bowers grew up at the resort, which she took over from her family. She met her husband there. She said that the nudist lifestyle helps people accept the way they look and realize that “being naked is just being in your natural form, and there’s nothing that’s sexual about that.”
Plus, Bowers said, there is the added benefit of not getting sand stuck in your bathing suit when playing outdoor sports like sand volleyball, a popular pastime in the nudist community.
At the family-friendly resort, guests can take a dip in the pools or hot tub (the only places on site where nudity is required, to put everybody on an equal playing field, according to Bowers), play a match of volleyball or dig into food from one of the resort’s eateries. The on-site nightclub has parties on weekends.
For first-timers, Bowers’ advice is to strip down as soon as possible.
“It gets the jitters kind of out,” she said.
Just 7 miles from Sunny Rest is another nudist camp, Beechwood Lodge. Owner Mae DeLong described nudist camps like ice cream sundaes with different toppings. Some are like banana splits, she said, but Beechwood Lodge is like a scoop of ice cream with syrup and whipped cream on top.
“It’s a quiet, laid-back camp,” she said. “It’s a campground.”
Beechwood Lodge has an enclosed pool, volleyball and pickleball courts, and hiking trails; and host dinners and picnics on the weekends. The campground doesn’t have a bar but DeLong said people can bring their own alcohol, just not on the sun lawn or where there are children.
“Not everybody likes to go in the fast lane, they like to just lay around and enjoy the sun or go for a walk,” DeLong said.
DeLong, who is 90 years old, said she and her husband were members of Sunny Rest before going to and eventually taking ownership of Beechwood Lodge. She said she’s the first to admit that nudism is not for everybody, but believes it to be a welcoming community.
“I like the fact that mostly everybody gets along,” she said. “It’s a real friendly atmosphere.”
LEHIGH VALLEY AREA RESORTS
Multiple clothing-optional and nudist camps are within driving distance of the Lehigh Valley. Among them are:
Sunny Rest Resort, Palmerton, Carbon County
Formally owned by Zelda Suplee, a celebrity of the nudist community, Sunny Rest Resort has been a nudist retreat since 1945. The family-friendly resort offers a full events calendar, an on-site nightclub with DJs and — during Nude Recreation Week in July— nude skydiving. Some discounts are available for members and young adults (18-35 years old), and day passes are available.
Accommodations: Tent/RV space, rooms and cabins
Season: Open April/May to September/October; there is a waiting list for permanent sites.
Facilities: Nightclub, poolside bar, heated swimming pool, conversation pool, spa treatment facility, hot tub, tennis/basketball, pickleball and sand volleyball courts, hiking, playground, and eateries
More information: sunnyrest.com, 610-377-2911
Beechwood Lodge, Ashfield, Carbon County
A quiet and laid-back family-friendly campground about a 45-minute drive from Allentown, Beechwood Lodge offers outdoor and indoor relaxation and activities. Visitors can take part in naked yoga, trivia nights and dinners. There are discounts for members of some national nudist organizations.
Accommodations: Tent/RV spaces and rooms
Season: Open year-round
Facilities: Enclosed heated pool, hot tub, sauna, hiking, fitness space, tennis and sand volleyball courts, indoor games, rec hall, children’s play area
More information: beechwoodnudistcamp.com, 570-386-4449
The Woods Campground, Lehighton, Carbon County
The Woods Campground is an 18+, LGBTQIA+ themed and clothing-optional campground that requires membership to visit. The resort has competitions throughout the season like its Miss Woods Pageant drag competition, Mr./Ms. Woods Leather and Woods Bear. For those who are sober, the campground offers alcohol alternatives at all block and campsite parties and shot crawls. Day and night passes are available.
Accommodations: Tent/RV space, tiny homes and cabins
Season: Camping season is May to October
Facilities: Dance club, outdoor fitness center, volleyball, massages, bodyscaping, pool, hiking, lake, cafe
More information: thewoodscampground.com, 610-377-9577
PSHS Inc. (Penn Sylvan), Mohnton, Berks County
Open since 1938, Penn Sylvan is a year-round, family-oriented nudist option, with indoor recreation including an indoor pool, as well as outdoor facilities for the summer months. Past events hosted by the resort have included Oktoberfest (in May), a Kentucky Derby party and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Daily rates include discounts for young adults and a “single ladies special.”
Accommodations: Tent/RV spaces, rooms and cabins
Season: open year-round, outdoor facilities open early May to late September
Facilities: Outdoor and indoor pool, hot tub, playground, tennis, pickleball, petanque, volleyball and rec hall
More information: pshsinc.com, 717-445-6330
The Pen-Mar Club, Warfordsburg, Fulton County
About a three-hour drive from Allentown, the Pen-Mar Club is a family-oriented option on the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. Throughout the summer, the community hosts movie nights, potlucks and poolside games by the site’s heated pool. Plus, there’s free Wi-Fi for guests.
Accommodations: Tent/RV spaces and cabins
Season: Open to visitors May to October
Facilities: Catch-and-release pond, pool, volleyball and campfires
More information: pen-mar.com, 717-294-3262