Bare in North Carolina

Nudist resort offers secluded location to unwind

By Chris Mudarri
Star-News Correspondent

Ocean Isle Beach | "We're really kind of boring people," Carol Love says, munching on a sandwich. Carol isn't wearing any clothes.

The location is Brunswick County's Whispering Pines nudist resort, where a horse pasture and tent and trailer sites are encircled by trees. International Paper owns most of the surrounding woods, except for the nudist subdivision next door, making Whispering Pines protected and private.

"There are people in Shallotte, born and raised, who never knew we existed," Carol says.

Safety is a big issue for Carol and Jerry Love, owners and managers of Whispering Pines. They're careful about the people admitted to Whispering Pines.

"We screen people ... make sure they're the right kind of people," she said.

"It's about freedom from clothes if you don't like to wear clothes in the hot weather, and that's all it is.... If you have to look around, there's no relaxation in that. It's just creating stress," she said.

"Most people think you take your clothes off and automatically are going to have sex," she said, "but that's not it. It has nothing to do with that at all."

Whispering Pines is a family resort, Carol said.

"Our preacher is a Baptist preacher," she said, and the resort even had a Christian nudist conference for several years running.

In the summer, resort goers organize their own activities. They have cookouts - even bring guitars and put together bluegrass jams.

Sunbathing by the pool is very popular. "Most nudists want to tan," Carol said.

As with many vacation spots, winter traffic is fairly slow, so Carol and Jerry organize bonfires and oyster roasts for their guests.

The facilities include a hot tub for cooler days, and the pool can be heated as well.

"When (guests) take their clothes off at the gate, they leave their troubles outside," Carol said. "We have salesmen who come in for a couple of hours during the day to get away from the phones."

A year's membership at Whispering Pines costs $200. Day passes cost $15 per couple, and accommodations run from $10 to $15 per day for tent or camper sites to $80 per day for rental units.

"Some people live here every single weekend," Carol said, "and spend their vacations here."

The Loves lived in Columbia, S.C., before moving to Ocean Isle Beach. Jerry was a paint contractor, and Carol accounts receivable. They became members of Whispering Pines in 1990. When the owner made it known he was selling, the couple took the opportunity to purchase the resort. They have been there for 13 years now, with Carol taking care of the yard work and Jerry maintaining the buildings.

A few years ago, Carol started taking in "rescue" dogs. There's plenty of room on the spacious property for all 11 of her adopted pups, plus one that belongs to their daughter. She also has three horses, a "rescue" pig named Peggy Sue, two cats and six birds - a cockatoo, a ring-necked parakeet, a sun conure, a cherry-headed conure and two Amazon parrots.

In addition to that, she cares for the ducks and turtles that make their home in the pond by the resort's community building.

Whispering Pines family nudist resort was established in 1974.

Then it was called the Apollo Sun Club. Later, the name was changed to Coastal Pines. It became Whispering Pines in 1989.

"We get new people constantly, trying it for the first time, and a majority, after the first 10 minutes, they're stuck," said Carol. "They don't want to go back home and put their clothes on."