Get Naked for Nude Recreation Week

Nude Recreation Week Kicks Off Today
If there's any time of the year where it makes sense to get naked in Toronto, it's during the extreme heat that permeates the city in mid-July. Which is why it makes complete sense that Nude Recreation Week — a celebration of naturism across the world — kicks off today across the continent, encouraging nudists and non-nudists alike to learn about all the great things you can do with your clothes off.

An initiative of the American Association for Nude Recreation and The Naturist Society, Nude Recreation Week encourages first timers to enjoy clothes-free relaxation wherever they are. And while it may be a bit forward to walk through the Eaton Centre with your clothes off this week, there's a lot a nudist can do in our city.

Nude Recreation Week Kicks Off TodayIt may seem like a strange world for some of you, but nude recreation is a growing industry across North America, and continues to be an important segment of the travel industry in Europe. The Federation of Canadian Naturists has reported a recent rise in registrations, and nudist resorts are cropping up across southern Ontario because of increasing demand.

In Toronto, of course, the hot-spot for nudists is our very own clothing-optional beach at Hanlan's Point. If you've never been there, I'd suggest checking out Ian's Guide to Swimming Toronto's Beaches first, but nudist culture in Toronto is more than just one beach. Beechgrove Beach just to the east of the city has designated clothing-optional areas, and the FCN reports that there are many secluded areas in the Scarborough Bluffs that can be used by nudists.

For those of you that want to jump right into nudist culture, the Ontario Roaming Bares is one of Toronto's largest naturist clubs and encourages clothing-optional recreation through regular camping trips, volleyball tournaments, and swimming nights. In addition, TNT!MEN (Totally Naked Toronto Men Enjoying Nudity) hosts over 12 events a month that are open to all men, members or not. If you're a fan of the water, the Sunshine Sailing Club conducts sailing trips on the Toronto lakefront, and though school may be on hiatus for the summer, the University of Toronto Naturists is a great group to visit for more information about clothing-optional living in the city.

Nude Recreation Week Kicks Off TodayIf you're looking for a break from the city, southern Ontario has several nudist clubs — including the very famous Four Seasons Family Nudist Resort less than an hour away on the 401 — that are more than welcome to introduce newbies to clothing-optional living.

The Naturist Society is encouraging first-timers to try their everyday tasks in the buff this week, and the AANR has released a list of five things you can do to get started:

  1. Cool off: skinny dip in your backyard pool.
  2. Make housekeeping fun: ditch those clothes, turn on some music and get out the mop.
  3. Get in touch with nature: shed those threads and grab your garden tools for some nude gardening.
  4. Exercise: hit the treadmill or dust off one of the workout videos.
  5. Telecommute: working from home, in the nude, is in fact increasing in popularity.

On that last point, here's a (possibly scary) thought to ponder: how many blogTO contributors will be posting in their birthday suits this week?

So whether you're a seasoned nudist or just curious, Nude Recreation Week is a good time to explore Toronto's clothing-optional options. That being said, I wouldn't go walking down King & Bay au naturel just yet: not only will the 'suits' be a little shocked, but there are Canadian laws to be aware of too.

Oh, and stock up on sunscreen. You'll need a whole lot of it.

(Photos by Adam Muise, Uffe Jakobsen, and Lone Primate.)

Reader Reviews and Comments

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Well, this is the best thing ever.

Posted by: Matt at July 9, 2007 11:14 AM

Nude sunbathing at nudist resorts is lots of fun and very relaxing.
The computer magazine networkworld.com had an article about how people naked telecommute at a nudist resort called The Terra Cotta Inn in Palm Springs, CA so maybe a lot of TO blog readers are naked while reading your post. click here for the article

Posted by: Tom Mulhall at July 9, 2007 1:04 PM

Thanks for the link Tom. Looks like the practice is a lot more common than even I expected!

Posted by: Sameer Vasta at July 9, 2007 1:17 PM

I hope that more people here south of the border will become more enlightened on this subject soon. There are still states in the US where parents can be prosecuted as child molesters, basically, for being nude in front of their own children. I'm still in high school and I don't dare let any of my friends know about my "hobby", or I'd be branded a slut or a freak, or both. Maybe when I'm in college in a couple of years things will be different. BTW, the link to the University of Toronto Naturists doesn't work...

Posted by: Ophelia at July 10, 2007 12:48 AM

The UTN has been gone for some years. Otherwiae, the article is quite accurate. It could have mentioned the up-and-coming Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park north of Toronto, as well as the more serious reasons people enjoy clothes-free living in some form.

Excellent magazines to consider are The Naturist Society's Nude & Natural and the Federation of Canadian Naturists' Going Natural / Au naturel.

Sameer Vasta's plight concerns me greatly. That minors of any age are harmed by anyone's non-sexualized nudity is a horrible myth; it stigmatizes and punishes innocent people because most of American officialdom craves control based on fear and loathing of the body that projects intolerance at its deepest level.

The result is body-related social ills on an epidemic scale. Understanding of nudity would do much to eradicate that.

Posted by: Dr. P. Rapoport at July 10, 2007 9:01 AM

Sorry, it's Ophelia who made the comment about minors and nudity, and for some reason the system posted my comment twice.

Posted by: Paul Rapoport at July 10, 2007 9:04 AM

Ophelia, where in the US are you? I'd be curious to learn about acceptance of the practice in the various areas of the States: I can't seem to figure out whether it would be more prevalent in places like New England or the West Coast, or if it is more accepted in the interior states like the Midwest.

Paul, do you know what happened to the UTN? Was it dismantled by members or forced to shut down for some reason? As for the article, thanks for the kudos. It was meant to be a bit light-hearted, hoping to spur some people into looking into more serious reasons for clothes-free living. I hope it did that for some...feel free to share more links and resources here if you have any.

For those that might be interested, here are the links for the magazines that Paul mentioned:

Going Natural
Nude & Natural


(And I cleaned up the double-posted comment.)

Posted by: Sameer Vasta at July 10, 2007 10:01 AM

This is exhibitionism, pure and simple.  Let's call it what it is.  Why else would any rational person want to walk through a city centre stark naked?  And why are the authorities allowing it?

Posted by: Bison at July 15, 2007 12:41 PM

Bison, authorities aren't allowing it, as you may have deduced if you read the link at the end of the article outlining the laws around nudity in Canada.  And most of this has nothing to do with walking through a city centre naked...it has everything to do with enjoying recreation, indoors and out, in an environment where clothing is optional.  Might not be for you, but I wouldn't call it irrational in the least.

Posted by: Sameer Vasta at July 15, 2007 9:04 PM

You don't really need or want that lifestyle, it might hurt y'all slowly more.......Just tell him you
don't wanna repeat something your not too proud of z7uas.

Posted by: mortairlTrurl at October 30, 2007 4:56 PM

The UTN dropped because its leadership moved away and membership just dwindled. The group was by no means forced out of existence.

It has proved difficult throughout North America to interest people aged about 15 to 30 in naturism. Although there isn't much research on the reasons, we may all suggest why . . .

Posted by: Paul Rapoport at January 26, 2008 4:23 PM

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