Haulover Beach

There is just about every kind of beach you can imagine in the state of Florida. But none will match a truly unique experience as going to a "clothing optional" or nudist beach such as the one that you can find at the Miami-Dade County Regional Park at a section of the beach named Haulover. Haulover parks is a section of the beach that is only about a mile and a half long located between the communities of Sunny Isles Beach and Bal Harbour Florida. So while not a large area, it is one of the real sanctuaries of nudism in the country.

The Florida naturalist organization, South Florida Free Beaches formally declared the northern section of the Haulover park beach to be clothing optional as long ago as 1991. As you might expect, the local government and population was not ready to sanction the nude beach setting at first. But it has proven to be both a popular beach location and one that does not create the kinds of problems you might expect. So if you decide to drop in on this unique beach experience you will find it protected and well maintained by the Florida Parks Department.

Or course, you can go on just about any beach in Florida and there will be plenty of flesh on display. Modern string bikinis and Speedo swimsuits are not very modest. But to spend time in a genuine nudist environment is not about fashion or even how great (or not great) people look naked. To a person who enjoys the naturalist lifestyle, it is far more about health and living in tune with nature than it is about nudity for its own sake.

If the concept of going to Haulover Park because it is a nude beach caused you to snicker or blush, that is natural. For one thing, when you get the idea of going to a clothing optional beach setting, you naturally think you will spend your time staring a lot. This is particularly upsetting if you found out you sometimes stared at the wrong gender. But one of the many real surprises and treats you get when you go to a nudist setting is that you really don't feel any more awkward or prone to stare than you might at a regular beach where everyone is in bikinis and Speedos. We all seem to get used to the level of dress we are in the middle of and after a short time, you may find a nudist setting quite natural and relaxing.

But the biggest worry many of us have at the idea of being in a clothing optional setting is the idea that we will be forced to go nude ourselves. But clothing optional means just that and you can wear your regular beach garments if you feel that having an afternoon in a nude setting might be too embarrassing to you. But keep your mind open because as you get used to being around nudists, you may find the idea of spending some time in the beauty of a beach setting sans clothing very appealing. But be careful because as they say, once you go nude, you may never want to go back.