| Trip report on Hidden Valley Resort.
Route 3, Box 3452
Dawsonville, GA 30534
(706) 265-6110
Directions:
GA 400 North
At mile marker 41, make a left onto Cothran Road (gravel road).
Go 1.7 miles, there will be a sign on the right.
Visitation Policies (from the brochure I received at the gate):
Visitors are always welcome at Hidden Valley. Grounds fees must be paid
at the office upon entering the resort. There is no charge for children
under 18. No appointment is necessary for couples to visit. A couple is
two people of the opposite sex, married or unmarried. Married persons
must attend with their spouse. Single persons must call ahead for
visitation appointment. This includes ASA members of other clubs and ASA-
only members of Hidden Valley. No appointment is necessary for singles
accompanied by a member of the opposite sex. All visitors are asked to
fill out a registration form on their first visit, immediately upon
entering the grounds. For this reason first time visitors should plan
their arrival during office hours, between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, unless
other arrangements have been made by phone. The information requested
on the registration form is for our use only and is held in the strictest
confidence. You may request that we send you no mail.
Overnight facilities:
Tent camping, RV rental, motel-style room rental. Sites can be rented
overnight, weekly, or monthly.
Amenities:
Pool, hot tub, spring fed pond, tennis, volleyball, shuffle board, nature
trails, a large well kept field for picnics, frisbee and such, club house
with video games and food, and a bath house.
Cost:
$24 per couple for a day's visit. Memberships can be purchased from $40
to $492.50, depending on membership level, grounds fee ranges from nothing
to $20/couple per visit.
My experience:
Are those visitation rules confusing or what? Anyway, this was my first
nudist experience and it was a lot of fun. The pool is very new and
beautifully designed, complete with waterfall. The hot tub is brand new
and is also large and nice. The new bath house was partially open when I
went.
The pond was freezing and looked a little slimey on the bottom. A marble
patio surrounds the pond. The nature trails were scenic but a little
buggy. I didn't try any of the food (you are welcome to bring your own
food as well), but I heard that it is good and pretty cheap. The entire
area is surrounded by woods.
The people were very friendly. A lot a people introduced themselves and
invited us back when we left. Somebody brought a frisbee and my husband
and I joined him and several others for some frisbee on the field. The
person at the office went over all of the rules before we entered the
resort and gave us a brief talk on etiquette (she was clothed, BTW). The
pool was pretty crowded when we arrived, and I hear that it is hard to get
a lounge chair on peak days, so a lot of people bring their own.
Fortunately, we managed to get some lounges and soak up some sun. All in
all, it was a VERY relaxing and friendly place to be.
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| From the Atlanta Journal/Constitution:
'THERE ARE NO GUCCI TUSHES'
A great equalizer: Nudists say bank presidents and street sweepers look alike
when they're naked.
by John Blake, Staff Writer
It was a nice day to get naked.
Nude men and women battled it out on the volleyball court. Nude kids
played shuffleboard. Nude sunbathers rubbed on sunscreen at the pool.
The sun was shining, a cool breeze blew, and the aroma of cocoa butter
filled the air at the Hidden Valley Resort in Dawsonville, where about 600
nudists gathered Sunday for their version of nude nirvana.
Dennis, a rotund 42-year-old wearing nothing but a T-shirt bearing the
slogan "Sun Your Buns," walked up to his wife and smiled. Getting nude is no
problem, he said, getting clothed is.
"Sometimes we have to catch ourselves before we answer the door," said
Dennis, who declined to give his last name. "Once I was walking the dog at 3
in the morning before I knew I didn't have anything on."
He couldn't help but feel at home this weekend at the Eastern
Sunbathing Association's annual convention.
There were nudists as far as the eye could see: playing with their
families, munching doughnuts, falling asleep in lawn chairs. There were fat
ones, skinny ones, pale ones, tan ones - a bundle of buns filled the horizon.
The nudists were there mainly to talk business. They discussed ways to
promote nudism and keep it affordable. Most nudists go to places such as
Hidden Valley, a 12-year-old resort at the foot of the North Georgia mountains
that has about 500 members.
Nude's not lewd
But, of course, they found time for fun. In between business meetings
they danced, played sports, even watched a nude skydiving exhibition.
It was sort of a celebration of the fraternity of nudism. Like people
who share a religious experience, many use common terms, like how nudism has
"healed" them and how they have "converted" their friends.
More than anything, they were eager to defend their lifestyle.
"People ask, 'What do you do in winter?' Well, we're nudists, but
we're not stupid - we wear clothes," said Linda Ohlwiler, 43, a nudist and
co-owner of Hidden Valley. "We get all types of stupid questions."
And then there's the sex thing.
No atmosphere for orgies
"People think we're having orgies," said Billy, a 37-year-old Atlanta
area resident. "But this is a place of relaxation, not excitement."
The atmosphere at Hidden Valley was anything but sexual this weekend.
Just imagine Uncle Bob and Aunt Sue at the family picnic - only naked.
Most of the people here were with their families, and the men and women
were not ogling each other.
A person can't put on airs when they can't put on clothes - that's the
reason most nudists interviewed said they enjoyed being naked.
"Once you take off your clothes, you have nothing to offer but
yourself," said Debra Peterson, 25, a nudist and spokeswoman with the American
Sunbathing Association.
And when they're naked, you can't tell the bank boss from the street
sweeper. "There are no Gucci tushes," Ms. Ohlwiler said.
There was at least one nudist who wished he was clothed this weekend.
By late afternoon Saturday, the crowd cheered as eight nude skydivers
floated into a small field in the resort - wearing nothing but their
parachutes.
A man who would identify himself only as Norman was surrounded by
cheering nudists after he tumbled onto the field.
"It was chilly," he said, shaking as he gathered in his parachute. "It
was 30 degrees up there."
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