Latest twist on clothes-free relaxation? 'Nacations'

Valerie Hoff | WXIA-TV, Atlanta

Show Caption Hide Caption 'Nacations' promise clothes-free relaxation 'Nacations' are multi-million dollar industry

CLEVELAND, Ga. — For some, staycations have evolved into "nacations" — and the nude recreation industry that the Wall Street Journal estimated had evolved into $400 million business a dozen years ago only keeps growing.

Serendipity Nudist Park has been around for more than 20 years, long before naked nature lovers coined the term "nacation." People here say guests have no hang-ups about body image, no judgments and no shame.

"Shame is something that must be learned; we're not born with it," said Stuart Antrim, who works at the park. "Once you get past 30 seconds of awkwardness, they realized that learned shame melts away."

Some people live year-round at the resort in the mountains about 80 miles northeast of Atlanta. Others rent cabins that fill up in the summer.

So what's the appeal?

"Swimming nude, wow! That's way different than swimming with even the teeniest suit on," said one woman enthusiast who didn't want to be identified.

Though the American Association for Nude Recreation had 34,000 dues-paying members in 2013 an annual budget of $1.5 million, for some, nudism still has a stigma attached.

"Nudists are where the gay community was back in the '60s," Tom Mulhall, who owns Terra Cotta Inn nudist resort in Palm Springs, Calif., told the Wall Street Journal in 2013. "A lot of people are still in the closet."

Proponents of naked vacations say one advantage is not stressing about what clothes to pack — just sunscreen and an open mind.

Serendipity's owners say their resort is not a sexually charged environment. But not all nacations are created equal.

Agencies like Topless Travel in Florida market clothing-optional trips and cruises to the Caribbean, where singles and adventurous couples go as bare as they dare. Its owner said business is booming.

Atlanta-based tour operator VacationExpress.com also has seen an increase in clothing-optional requests.

"15 years ago we had probably two resorts and now we have six," which run the gamut from topless to optional to anything goes, said Elma Placeres Dieppa of VacationExpress.com.

"Hedonism is top tier in Jamaica, and it's an all inclusive," Placeres Dieppa said. "It's known for being more on the nacation side, less on the optional."

Not comfortable with letting it all hang out? You could always try a nacation staycation in the privacy of your own home.