Our History
Our Story
Fifty-five years of naturism, family, and freedom in the piney woods of Slidell, Louisiana.
The Professor, circa 1979
How It Began
The Professor
In 1971, a lifelong nudist and incurable showman named Gottlieb Kogel bought a stretch of wooded land off Gause Boulevard and opened it to anyone comfortable enough to leave their clothes at the gate. Everyone just called him “The Professor” — a nickname he is rumored to have earned teaching drafting classes at Delgado Community College in New Orleans, long before he traded a classroom for a campground. For more than four decades, Professor Gottlieb Kogel combined his passion for naturism with a lifelong love of magic. His impromptu performances around the park became part of the unique experience that generations of visitors came to associate with Indian Hills.
The Professor continually reinvested in Indian Hills, helping transform it into a distinctive retreat in the piney woods north of Lake Pontchartrain. By 1979, The Times-Picayune described the park as “resort-plush,” with amenities that included a swimming pool, paddleboat pond, volleyball court, putting green, archery range, and groomed hiking trail. He lived to be 94 and remained a passionate advocate for social nudity throughout his life, promoting the simple belief that naturism is not about the assumptions people make, but about comfort, freedom, and feeling at home in your own skin.
“Social nudity is the freedom to feel comfortable with your naked self in a safe, relaxing setting, all while enjoying the beautiful nature that abounds at Indian Hills.”
Five Decades and Counting
A Timeline of "The Hills"
The Hills Are Founded
“The Professor” Gottlieb Kogel opens Indian Hills on 55 wooded acres off Gause Boulevard, welcoming anyone comfortable enough to leave their clothes at the gate.
“Resort-Plush”
The Times-Picayune describes the young park’s pool, paddleboat pond, volleyball court, and putting green as “resort-plush.”
The Kraemers Arrive
Hilda Kraemer and her husband Selves become residents and close friends of the Professor, soon becoming indispensable to the park they’d one day inherit.
A Promise Kept
The Professor passes at 94, entrusting Indian Hills to Hilda. She promises him it will never close, a promise she has kept ever since.
A Family Legacy
Hilda and Selves’s children carry the tradition forward under Tim Kraemer, welcoming naturists from all walks of life across the country.
Keeping the Promise
Hilda & Selves Kraemer
Hilda Kraemer had been a close friend and dedicated employee of The Professor for many years. As someone who understood both his vision and his passion for naturism, she earned his trust to carry Indian Hills forward after his passing. Stewardship of the park passed to Hilda, and under her leadership, the traditions established by the Professor continued to thrive. Rather than simply preserving the campground, she worked to ensure that Indian Hills remained a place where people could experience the acceptance, respect, and sense of community that had defined it since its founding.
Together, Hilda and her husband, Selves, devoted years of hard work to maintaining and improving the park while welcoming generations of members and guests. Their dedication helped establish Indian Hills as one of the Gulf South's most enduring naturist destinations. Today, it remains Louisiana's only nudist park, attracting visitors from across the region who come to enjoy its unique atmosphere of relaxation, friendship, and belonging. That legacy continues with the next generation of the Kraemer family, as Tim Kraemer leads the daily operation of the park, carrying forward a tradition that has connected the Indian Hills community for more than five decades.
Hilda & Selves Kraemer
See It For Yourself
Indian Hills, On Screen
We value our guest's privacy, so pictures and videos are now allowed — it’s one of our firmest rules. But every so often we invite a storyteller in to see the park for themselves. Here’s Indian Hills through their eyes.
I Went To the Town Where Everyone is Naked
Zandland™ · A visitor’s firsthand tour of the grounds, the community, and a day spent at Indian Hills.
Access Code 70460: Exploring Louisiana’s Only Nudist Park
WWL-TV · New Orleans news station WWL-TV visits Slidell to meet the community that calls Indian Hills home.
Still True Today
What the Professor Started, We Protect
Freedom
The freedom to feel comfortable in your own skin, without apology or explanation.
Nature
55 wooded acres, three stocked ponds, and a hiking trail, all tucked into the Louisiana piney woods.
Community
A tight-knit, judgment-free community that has welcomed guests and residents for more than five decades.
Family
A park still run, to this day, by the family the Professor trusted to carry it forward.
Come See It For Yourself
Fifty-five years in the making
The Professor built a place where people could just be. Hilda and Selves kept it alive. Now we’d love to welcome you to it.