Coming up Saturday, May 7th, it will be World Naked Gardening Day! It is a day set aside on the first Saturday of May to promote gardening while not wearing a thing.

Before You Strip Down and Participate in World Naked Gardening Day

There are a few things to take into consideration before participating:

Cloudy Weather
Photo by Hans Isaacson on Unsplash
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Weather: The first thing we need to worry about, especially here in Michigan, is the weather. May is a little early to be walking around in your birthday suit outside. Some years in the past the first Saturday of May has been cold, cloudy, and rainy. Not the best weather for World Naked Gardening Day. This year we might get lucky -- the forecast for this Saturday is Mostly Sunny with a high near 64. Still a tad bit chilly, but if the sun is out, it might not feel too bad. Remember the sun screen -- and lots of it!

Mosquito (Culex pipiens) going to sting
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Bugs: You might also want to grab some bug spray. The bugs are starting to show up with the warmer temps. In clothing you limit the areas they can bite. Minus the clothes,  your whole body becomes a smorgasbord for them to feast on.

Gardening Tools
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Sharp Gardening Tools: Think about all the sharp and dangerous lawn and gardening tools we use. Things like lawnmowers, saws, string trimmers, hedge clippers, shovels, and rakes. Do you really want to be using these things without any protection? Definitely something worth considering.

Handcuffs
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Indecency Laws: If you live in a community and have a lot of neighbors, you might want to reconsider your participation in World Naked Gardening Day. Here in the State of Michigan, you could get arrested and ticketed for "Indecent Exposure" if you are caught naked in public view. This is a misdemeanor that could also get your name included on the sex offender list in our state.

Best Cities to Participate in World Naked Gardening Day

The website LawnStarter.com has come up with their list of "2022's Best Cities for Naked Gardening". They compared 100 of the biggest cities in the United States. Their rankings were based on population size, legality of public nudity and gardener friendliness. They also took into consideration weather conditions and safety. The top five cities were:

  1. Austin, Texas
  2. Orlando, FL
  3. Atlanta, GA
  4. Baton Rouge, LA
  5. Tampa, FL

It only makes sense that the best cities are in the south where the temperature tends to be a little warmer that first week of May.

One Michigan City is Listed as Best Place for Naked Gardening

Detroit, Michigan
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Falling into the list of 100 cities was just one Michigan city. Coming in at #82 was Detroit. I wouldn't really think of Detroit as being a great place to be naked, but at least one city in our state made the list. You can see the complete list here.

Where Can You Go to be Naked Legally in Michigan?

If you really want to shed the clothing and hang out naked, there are a few options in West Michigan. There are two nudist resorts you could visit...

Forest Hills Club
Photo: Forest Hills Club via Facebook
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Forest Hills Club is the closest one to Grand Rapids. It is just 30 miles east of town in Saranac, MI. This is Michigan's oldest clothing optional club. It has been in existence since 1957. The club's website indicated they are opening up for the season on Friday, May 6th -- just in time for Naked Gardening Day on Saturday! The club is located at 9355 Riverside Drive in Saranac.

 

Turtle Lake Clothing Optional Resort
Photo: Turtle Lake Clothing Optional Resort via Facebook
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Turtle Lake Resort is your other option. It is located about 90 miles away in Union City, MI (just south of Battle Creek). Turtle Lake is open all year, with indoor facilities that you can use during the chillier months. Turtle Lake is known for their annual Music Fest, often referred to as "Nude Stock". They list themselves as "The Midwest's Finest Clothing Optional Resort". Turtle Lake is located at 2101 9 Mile Road in Union City.

The band Foreigner played at one of the Turtle Lake Music Fest events...

When Foreigner Played a Michigan Nudist Resort

"Nudestock" is an annual summer concert at a clothing-optional campground in Michigan. Foreigner played a concert there in 1995.

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