Over a decade ago, Steve Hillebrand was a workaholic. His girlfriend wanted to do something different for Hillebrand\u2019s birthday, and settled on a weekend at Sunny Rest Resort in Palmerton, Carbon County.<\/p>\n
It was \u201clife-changing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I came here, it\u2019s like \u2018Oh my god, I have to live life again,\u2019 \u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A Long Island, New York, resident, he now has a permanent residence at the resort.<\/p>\n
Once, he said, he went to a party he was invited to at someone else\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a place where, while the whole world is going crazy, everybody gets along here,\u201d Hillebrand said.<\/p>\n
He loves the friendly community at Sunny Rest so much that he\u2019s making a documentary about it.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t have to get dressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t do that in Long Island,\u201d Hillebrand said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The nudist lifestyle invites people of all shapes, sizes and statuses to connect, according to Sunny Rest owner Halsie Bowers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people are nude, it strips away their social status,\u201d Bowers said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u201cbeing naked is just being in your natural form, and there\u2019s nothing that\u2019s sexual about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s eateries. The on-site nightclub has parties on weekends.<\/p>\n
For first-timers, Bowers\u2019 advice is to strip down as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gets the jitters kind of out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a quiet, laid-back camp,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a campground.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beechwood Lodge has an enclosed pool, volleyball and pickleball courts, and hiking trails; and host dinners and picnics on the weekends. The campground doesn\u2019t have a bar but DeLong said people can bring their own alcohol, just not on the sun lawn or where there are children.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot everybody likes to go in the fast lane, they like to just lay around and enjoy the sun or go for a walk,\u201d DeLong said.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s the first to admit that nudism is not for everybody, but believes it to be a welcoming community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like the fact that mostly everybody gets along,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a real friendly atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
LEHIGH VALLEY AREA RESORTS<\/p>\n
Multiple clothing-optional and nudist camps are within driving distance of the Lehigh Valley. Among them are:<\/p>\n
Sunny Rest Resort,\u00a0Palmerton, Carbon County<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 during Nude Recreation Week in July\u2014 nude skydiving. Some discounts are available for members and young adults (18-35 years old), and day passes are available.<\/p>\n
Accommodations: Tent\/RV space, rooms and cabins<\/p>\n
Season: Open April\/May to September\/October; there is a waiting list for permanent sites.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
More information: sunnyrest.com, 610-377-2911<\/p>\n
Beechwood Lodge, Ashfield, Carbon County<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Accommodations: Tent\/RV spaces and rooms<\/p>\n
Season: Open year-round<\/p>\n
Facilities: Enclosed heated pool, hot tub, sauna, hiking, fitness space, tennis and sand volleyball courts, indoor games, rec hall, children\u2019s play area<\/p>\n
More information: beechwoodnudistcamp.com, 570-386-4449<\/p>\n
The Woods Campground,\u00a0Lehighton, Carbon County<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Accommodations: Tent\/RV space, tiny homes and cabins<\/p>\n
Season: Camping season is May to October<\/p>\n
Facilities: Dance club, outdoor fitness center, volleyball, massages, bodyscaping, pool, hiking, lake, cafe<\/p>\n
More information: thewoodscampground.com, 610-377-9577<\/p>\n
PSHS Inc. (Penn Sylvan),\u00a0Mohnton, Berks County<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Day celebration. Daily rates include discounts for young adults and a \u201csingle ladies special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Accommodations: Tent\/RV spaces, rooms and cabins<\/p>\n
Season: open year-round, outdoor facilities open early May to late September<\/p>\n
Facilities: Outdoor and indoor pool, hot tub, playground, tennis, pickleball, petanque, volleyball and rec hall<\/p>\n
More information: pshsinc.com, 717-445-6330<\/p>\n
The Pen-Mar Club,\u00a0Warfordsburg, Fulton County<\/p>\n
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\u2019s heated pool. Plus, there\u2019s free Wi-Fi for guests.<\/p>\n
Accommodations: Tent\/RV spaces and cabins<\/p>\n
Season: Open to visitors May to October<\/p>\n
Facilities: Catch-and-release pond, pool, volleyball and campfires<\/p>\n
More information: pen-mar.com, 717-294-3262<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Over a decade ago, Steve Hillebrand was a workaholic. His girlfriend wanted to do something different for Hillebrand\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235998,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,182,139,708,289,432,4491],"class_list":["post-235997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-outdoors","tag-things-to-do","tag-top-stories-tmc","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}