Hanlan's Point Beach is located on one of the small cluster of islands (the Toronto Islands) in Lake Ontario just offshore from downtown Toronto. The islands are reached from the mainland by passenger ferry. For years this was a little-known and unofficial nude beach where police showed up occasionally to ticket nudists, but in May of 1999 the Toronto city council made nudity a legal choice at Hanlan's (by a whopping 41 to 9 vote!). Hanlan's is now Ontario's first and only officially clothing-optional beach. Signs mark the designated nude area. Hanlan's new official status is a major victory for naturists groups, and efforts to extend an official clothing-optional status to the beach were led by TNT!MEN, a Toronto gay naturist organization. Now that nudity is legal, the number of visitors has increased, and there may be several hundred visitors on summer weekends.

Hanlan's Point is one of the nicest beaches in the area, with a wide expanse of sand backed by trees and other foliage. There are restrooms with showers as well as a snack bar near the beach (but all are outside the nude area, in the little-used textile zone). The snack bar is not always open, so you may want to bring your own food and beverages just in case.

VISUAL RESOURCES

GPS: 43.6170, -79.3917

city & municipality, province, country  Toronto, Ontario, Canada

classification  1 (freely nude)

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