White Thorn Lodge - Darlington, Pennsylvania, USA
White Thorn Lodge (WTL) is a seasonal family nudist campground and resort on the Pennsylvania-Ohio border. While there are many residents at White Thorn, guests are generally welcome from Memorial Day through Superbowl (which means the week after Labor Day). If you are unfamiliar, WTL hosts the Superbowl of Naked Volleyball every year in early-to-mid September and it has become the largest and most acclaimed tournament in the nude volleyball series (something that is actually taken quite seriously, believe it or not)! There are many athletes that attend for the games that do not otherwise participate in nude recreation, and White Thorn has been visited by both ESPN and HBO Sports for documentary purposes. Superbowl has been hosted by WTL for more than 50 years and it really is an incredible event that not only brings out great volleyball, but also a wonderful community of nudists from around the world (often well into the hundreds or even thousands in terms of number of attendees that come out for a sort of festival-like experience). If you are thinking about a visit to WTL and you happen to be able to visit during Superbowl, we would really recommend it!
We have also visited White Thorn outside of Superbowl and the property certainly has much to offer. While there are (very limited) rental cabins available for overnight accommodations, there are MANY and varied opportunities for camping of every sort. As you might expect, there are sports courts a plenty, but beyond that there is also a snack bar and gift shop, fully-equipped clubhouse, large swimming pool and smaller conversation pool—both on an enormous pool deck that serves up great sun and conversation. The nearby bathhouse offers convenient bathroom and shower facilities as well. White Thorn also has numerous hiking trails that are tirelessly well-maintained by member volunteers. One such trail leads to the pond, an old swimming hole (that might not be a great swimming option these days compared to the pools) that is really located in an amazing spot in the woods. It feels like you're really DEEP into nature, perhaps because it's located at the bottom of a path such that it does not give the impression that there are potentially hundreds of people at a swimming pool nearby. It really feels like you stumbled upon a natural body of water in the middle of nowhere in the woods in all the best ways. It's worth a trek to take it all in!
While White Thorn Lodge may be located off the beaten path for most, it's a relatively doable drive from major cities in western Pennsylvania and Ohio. If you should happen to live (or be traveling through) that general vicinity, please do give WTL a shot! Despite its seasonal nature due to geographical location, we believe that it has some of the best experiences to offer naturists in the northeastern U.S. If you're able to visit in September for a Superbowl, even better! Do yourselves a favor and add that experience to your bucket list if you haven't been!
Learn more and plan your visit at the official White Thorn Lodge website.
