Naturist/Nudist Resorts in Virginia

there are two "landed camp" naturist resorts in Virginia
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online

White Tail Resort near Ivor in Southampton County is Virginia's most famous year-round naturist resort. The resort is designed for people who chose to enjoy being naked with other adults. It is located on a 45-acre parcel, isolated in the forested landscape, that is worth over $2 million. There are no nearby residences. Neighboring parcels are large properties managed for agriculture, especially forest products.¹

The Naturist Directory lists two other naturist organizations in Virginia. Potomac Rambling Bares is a travel-nudist club based in Arlington, and Capital Area Family Naturists has a mailing address in Merrifield (Fairfax County). Neither groups advertises a location where they gather in person. Non-landed naturist clubs rent pools and other facilities for specific events, creating spaces for clothing optional experiences in a social setting.²

Zebulon's Grotto in King William County is another "landed camp" for naturists that has been in operation since 2017. It advertises itself as a "small private oasis" offering tent camping (glamping) plus a bed and breakfast guest house. Zebulon's Grotto is a clothing optional, LGBTQ-friendly, adults-only recreational destination.

In 2024, the owner successfully obtained county zoning approval to expand and add new cabins, Recreational Vehicle (RV) and primitive campsites and a bathhouse. The approval reduced the initial request for 99 daily visitor passes down to 50. County staff and elected supervisors had blocked previous requests for a conditional use permit, citing objections by neighbors and traffic concerns. In contrast to White Tail Resort, there are residences on most of the 12 parcels adjacent to Zebulon's Grotto's 36-acre parcel.

The Zebulon's Grotto owner said the expansion was sufficient to get him started on his business plan, noting:³

In some ways, Virginia can be very progressive. In other ways it falls back on that old Virginia mentality of conservatism and Puritism.

Zebulon's Grotto is on a 36-acre parcel in King William County, with private residences nearby
Source: King William County, GIS Mapping System

American cultural norms prioritize keeping portions of the body obscured from public view, and in the media nakedness is typically associated with sexual activity. Virginia laws consider public exposure of a person's genitals, pubic area, buttocks or a female breast to be indecent. Nudity is defined in the Code of Virginia:⁴

"Nudity" means a state of undress so as to expose the human male or female genitals, pubic area or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering, or the showing of the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple, or the depiction of covered or uncovered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state.

Naturist organizations highlight that the absence of clothing creates a unique sense of community, one in which people are more equal and accepting. Body acceptance is a key benefit. Naturist communities welcome people independent of their shape, offering a space that counters the constant advertising that claims people need to purchase products to make themselves look attractive.

One resident of Whitetail Resort said:⁵

It's great for your self-esteem. If you're really shy about your body, or have body issues... nobody pays attention to it here.

Virginians can cross the Potomac River to join the DMV Nude experience. It offers events with nude modeling, body painting, and professional photographers. Wine and cocktails are served, creating a networking experience centered on creative art based on the form of the human body. DMV Nude advertisements invite people to:⁶

Witness Visual Art in the making; take a photo while networking among like-minded individuals.

there are naturist clubs scattered along the East Coast
Source: American Association for Nude Recreation, Map of Clubs

That DMV Nude approach is in clear contrast to the White Tail Resort experience. The Southampton County resort offers a typical outdoor setting in the woods for casual fun, with indoor and outdoor pools, social hall, restaurant, fitness center and store. The only difference is that nakedness is normal. In addition to pool-related activities, there are recreational facilities for pickleball, volleyball, miniature golf, and bowling. When temperatures drop in the winter, activities move indoors for board games, dart boards, community meals and conversations. The resort is designed for casual weekend vacations as well as retirement living.⁷

trailers and Recreational Vehicles (RVs) offer housing at Whitetail Resort
Source: Virginia Currents, Whitetail Resort

Naturist camps object to being considered as "swinging places" for having sexual experiences. The public relations director for Potomac Rambling Bares said back in 1989, when there were an estimated 2,000 naturists in the Washington DC area:⁸

If you go to McDonald's on a Saturday afternoon or to church on Sunday and look around, those are the types of people who belong to our nudist clubs... We are wholesome, respectable and respectful people.

King William County

Southampton County

• American Association for Nude Recreation
• DMV Nude
• Maryland Area Naturist Association
• Potomac Rambling Bares
• Virginia Currents
• White Tail Resort (November 3, 2019)
• White Tail Resort
• Women In Nude Recreation
• Zebulon's Grotto

enjoying a pool party at Whitetail Resort
Source: Virginia Currents, White Tail Resort

References

White Tail Resort is on a 46-acre parcel in Southampton County
Source: Southampton County, Online iGIS Portal; ESRI, ArcGIS Online