Good. That means you're paying attention. Gay clothing optional campgrounds are genuinely different from most places you've probably been. They're adult spaces, they're openly gay, and many of them — including Twin Ponds Lodge — have areas with a bathhouse vibe that they're honest about. If you read that and felt a little flutter of anxiety about visiting a nudist campground for the first time, you're not alone and you're not wrong for feeling it. What I want to tell you — an

When we bought Twin Ponds Lodge in 2022, booking a stay here was an adventure, and not necessarily the fun kind. There was no online booking system. If you wanted to make a reservation you called us or sent an email, and then we manually entered everything on our end and hoped you showed up. In year two we got clever enough to send invoices by email so we could at least collect a deposit, but the whole process still ran through post-it notes and good intentions. Every reserva

Whatever a gay campground costs, it's worth it. I have been listening to my members talk about the campgrounds they visit up and down the eastern seaboard for years now, and I have almost never heard a truly bad review. Everyone has their favorites. Everyone has a wish list — an amenity they'd love to see, something they think could be done better somewhere — but "I'll never go back there" is almost never part of the conversation. Gay campgrounds, as a category, deliver. They

When Roberto and I first moved to central Maine in 2020, after fifteen years in Houston, we weren't looking for a campground. We were looking for a gay bar. A club. Anything. We'd gone from a city with a real gayborhood to a place where we genuinely couldn't find a single gay space within a reasonable drive. We searched wide, we would have driven to Boston, we even talked about a road trip to Montreal, and somehow, in that search, we kept landing on this strange result just t

2026 Season Next weekend is Memorial Day and we are at capacity on cabins, glamping tents, and RV sites — not a single one left. We do still have tent sites available, but if you're planning to come out, boo k in advance. Don't show up assuming we have space. The pond will be warm, the bar will be open, and it's going to be a great weekend — just don't leave your site to chance. I remember the early days when Roberto and I would look at the reservation calendar and will it to

Some of the best days at Twin Ponds Lodge aren’t the ones that sell out. Weekends will always have their own kind of magic—big energy, big hugs, big plans. But we’ve been talking a lot about the other kind of magic: the slower, more conversational, more “pull up a chair and stay awhile” kind. The kind where you actually get to meet people, learn names, and feel the lodge settle into its natural rhythm. So for 2026, we’re putting a little extra love into two midweek days—and i

Twin Ponds Lodge is easy to misunderstand if you’re looking for a shortcut. People love to compress places like this into a single idea—something neat and dismissible. And when they do, it’s usually not because they’ve taken the time to see how the place actually works. It’s because reducing something complex makes it easier to judge from a distance. Here’s what I’ll say plainly: when someone gets condescending about the sexual side of Twin Ponds Lodge, it often has less to d

The switch flips on May 1 Starting May 1, Twin Ponds Lodge is back to being open seven days a week, and honestly, you can feel it coming. Seasonal campers start rolling back in. Familiar faces pop up again. The place shifts from spring mode into that pre-summer buzz where everything feels possible. Behind the scenes, we are doing what we always do this time of year: getting the camp ready, knocking out projects, tightening up the details, and making improvements that keep us

When an Appalachian Trail hiker stays in town for more than a couple nights, it’s colloquially referred to as “vortexing”. I set out on the trail determined not to vortex. I showed up at Twin Ponds Lodge by accident. I was hiking. I needed a few extra days before new hiking boots were to be delivered. I traded some labor for time here at camp. Technically, this is still my first visit. There’s something poetic about that. What was supposed to be a pit stop turned into the a

At noon today, the lodge closes. That sentence sounds restful. Cozy, even. Like staff naps, long silences, and a clean exhale. That’s a lie I tell guests—and sometimes myself. Yes, the guests leave. Yes, the bar stools get flipped. Yes, people technically sleep. But what actually comes next is two straight months of planning, repairing, budgeting, rebuilding, and asking dangerous questions like “what if I just redid everything?” This is not a vacation. This is the deep-winter

As we wrap up 2025 and head into the final stretch of the holiday season, we're taking a moment to reflect on what this year meant to us at Twin Ponds Lodge—and what we're dreaming up for 2026. A Year of Community This year, we watched our community grow. We saw first-time visitors become regulars. We watched friendships deepen over potlucks and karaoke nights. We celebrated Bears Weekends, Frat Fridays, Kink & Fetish themes, and everything in between. Most importantly, we wa

Running a small, independent place like Twin Ponds Lodge is a true labor of love, and every bit of support from our community makes a real difference. One of the easiest (and totally free!) ways you can help us — and any small business you want to see thrive — is by simply engaging with our social media. Why Social Media Support Matters Those likes, comments, shares, and tags aren’t just digital high-fives. Every time you interact with our posts, you help more people discover

An Unofficial Guide to Clothing Optional Etiquette at Twin Ponds Lodge The Clothing Optional Part Is Not That Complicated Twin Ponds Lodge is clothing optional. That means exactly what it says. You can be naked. You can be clothed. You can be somewhere in between — flip flops and a smile, a towel around your waist, whatever works for you. Actually, if a three piece suit is what makes you happy, you might want to check our calendar because we have a Kink and Fetish Weekend eve

You don’t have to like me. And that’s okay. I am not here to win a popularity contest. (I mean, I already did that - Mr. TPL 2024.) I am here because I believe in what this place stands for — what it can stand for, if we let it. This isn’t just where I work. This is my home. My life. My community. My family. For most of you, Twin Ponds Lodge is a weekend getaway — a place to unplug, unwind, and be yourself for a few fleeting days. And I always want it to be that for you. But,

Hello Campers! By now, you’ve probably caught wind of The Growing Table—so let’s talk about how this project is growing roots at Twin Ponds Lodge. The Growing Table, our new nonprofit adventure that’s all about growing food, growing friendships, and growing our impact right here in Central Maine. As part of the Twin Ponds Lodge community, a unique New England gay campground, we know how special it is to have a space where everyone belongs, and we’re always looking for ways t

This guide is for you if you’ve never been to Twin Ponds Lodge, or any clothing-optional campground. If you’re brand new to the experience, whether solo or with friends who are also first-timers, you’re in the right place. When you visit, you’ll be joining the TPL Social Club, a private, men-only club that’s not open to the public. This private club structure is what allows us to offer a safe, welcoming space where the rules are created by the membership itself. Membership is

Potluck: Don’t be THAT Guy Ah, potluck night. The smell of home-cooked goodness wafts through the lodge. The table groans under the...

When we first arrived at Twin Ponds Lodge, we stepped into something truly special—a close-knit community full of heart, history, and...

Howdy Campers, TPL’s Camp Ranger here. The nights are getting chillier, and some of you are still pitching tents instead of cozying up in...

It’s no secret—Twin Ponds Lodge is proudly sex positive. We believe that everyone deserves a space to express themselves, including their...