With approval from authorities in hand, a clothing-optional resort just north of metro Atlanta is proceeding with plans for an indoor facility.
Business is "phenomenal" in the spring and summer at Paradise Valley Resort & Club, said owner Jeff Wasserman, so he's planning to add a pool and gymnasium that guests can use during winter months.
Dawson County commissioners approved the plans last week. Wasserman, who has owned the 114-acre getaway development since 2009, said he hopes the cold-weather addition will be ready in 18 months.
People “can be nude in the water, even though it’s cold outside,” he said.
The approval of expansion plans came despite opposition from some area residents. But Wasserman said hundreds of club residents and patrons also showed up at the commission meeting to show support.
“It’s an emotional issue,” he said.
Wasserman, who is not a nudist, said about 500 people are at Paradise Valley on a given weekend, with some being second-home owners in the resort. People can wear “as little or as much clothing as they want, or nothing at all.”
At the pool in the sun, almost all of the people are nude, he said. At the restaurant and lounge, it’s practically 100 percent clothing.
It’s quite a turnaround from 2008, when the resort shut down during the recession.
“We’ve rocked and rolled the last eight years,” Wasserman said.