Naturist Holidays
North Carolina - the Tar Heel State
Bar-S-Ranch - 2007
The Bar S Ranch was formerly a cattle ranch until being developed into the beautiful 300 acre naturist resort it has now become. Central to the property is a seven acre lake which is well stocked with bass and bream for the enjoyment of avid fishermen. In addition, there are miles of trails used for hikers, bikers, and golf cart rides. Nature enthusiasts find all manner of flora and fauna along these trails. The resort is surrounded by a natural barrier of foliage so the need for privacy fencing is minimal. There is a clubhouse with showers and lavatories and a separate shower and lavatory block. There is also a swimming pool.
We spent just one night here on the journey south as part of our tour. We stayed in one of their cabins, which was tiny - half of what you see in the picture! We had a bed, a small table and a small refrigerator. Outside there was a small wooden terrace with a table and two chairs.
We would have liked to have spent longer there and explored some of the woodland paths. Maybe next time...
Entrance at N36.2767° W79.8016°.
Unlike most American naturist sites, Bar-S Ranch does not have a camera policy.
Visitors are free to take photographs of themselves and the club,
but should always remember not to include people from outside their own group.
Whispering Creek Cottage - 2014, 2016, 2019
Although this is not a designated naturist location, it is secluded enough to live a naturist lifestyle there. We spent a few nights here in June 2014 and, except for trips out, spent all our time nude.
The cottage is set back and elevated from the road. It is also on a hairpin bend, so passing drivers are more interested in navigating the bend than in nuddy-spotting.
At the front is a large verandah with a table, several chairs - some of them rockers, and a hammock. We particularly liked lying in the hammock to dry after our showers, with a couple of strategically placed towels to conceal us from the road.
The cottage is very well appointed with two bedrooms, a large sitting room - which we never used - and a large kitchen. There is parking adjacent to the cottage.
At the rear is a sloping grassed area, where we sunbathed in complete privacy, and to one side is a wooded area alongside the stream that gives the cottage its name. Within the woods is an open area containing a firepit, although this is overlooked by the long drive to the adjacent property.
Free Wi-Fi included
We had all our meals on the verandah and enjoyed watching the birds in the surrounding trees and the wild turkeys on the opposite bank and, in the evenings, the fireflies.
The cottage is close to one of the access points of The Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469 mile scenic drive from Waynesboro in Virginia to Cherokee in North Carolina. One day we visited Chimney Rock Park, some forty-five miles to the south.
We don't very often return to a place where we have holidayed before, but this cottage was so delightful that we decided to stay here again to finish our 2016 holiday. The fact that it was only about a hundred and five miles from Charlotte Airport helped in our decision.
On our 2014 holiday we had only stayed three nights, but this time we stayed for six nights. It would have been a full week, but Serendipity Park - see our Georgia page - where we had planned to stay for six nights, offered us a seven for six deal. Not being people to miss a bargain, we transferred one night from here to there.
As it was spring, there were few opportunities for naturism: no leaves on the trees to screen from the road and low temperatures: one morning the thermometer on the verandah read 30°F. Also some thinning of the trees at the front of the cottage had been done and even when the trees are in leaf again, there will be less screening than before.
In 2019 we again finished our USA tour here, this time in September, and we stayed a full week. This time we visited Grandfather Mountain, Emerald ViIlage, The Altapass Orchard, the Soap Shed and Tom's Creek Falls.
We had been right about the screening from the road. The thinning of the shrubs had made a difference, but we were still able to use the verandah nude and had all our meals out there in our skins.
Whispering Pines - 2026
Whispering Pines Nudist Resort is set in thirty-five acres in southern North Carolina. Facilities include a swimming pool, surrounded by several dozen sun beds, two hot-tubs, a heated/air-conditioned clubhouse, a bathhouse with ladies' and gents' lavatories and showers and three outdoor showers on one of the walls, a laundry, a library and wi-fi. There are around fifty caravans and mobile homes owned by the members, spaces for visiting caravans and mobile homes, four fully equipped rental caravans and spaces for tents. About half of the site is forested with many tracks and paths going through the area. While we were there a large area was being cleared and levelled to provide more pitches. The electric posts were already in place and numbered up to 70.
We spent a week here in mid-July in one of their rental caravans as part of a tour of several states. The caravan had two bedrooms, one of which was useful for storing our suitcases and other stuff that we didn't need on a day-to-day basis and a fairly well equipped kitchen with a large refrigerator. We would have liked another lidded saucepan, which would have made cooking supper each day a little easier, but we managed with what was there.
One day we spent a pleasant time walking around one and a half miles along the paths through the forest.
From here we visited Shallotte Township Park, Sunset Beach Town Park and Vereen Memorial Gardens. For grocery shopping we found a Publix not far away - entrance at N33.9047° W78.4398°.
Like most American naturist sites, Whispering Pines has a strict camera policy.
Photography or videos of any type must be approved by the office.
We were able to borrow some photographs from the website and take some of ourselves.
