KNOXVILLE– With the arrival of spring, the Tennessee Valley Authority will be opening visitor centers on Saturday, April 4, on the reservations of its first dam, its tallest dam, its longest dam and a dam it inherited at its inception.
This will be a seasonal opening for the centers at TVA’s tallest dam, Fontana, which towers 480 feet and forms part of the Appalachian Trail, near Bryson City, N.C.; and TVA’s first dam, Norris, completed in 1936 along with a planned community that became a national model, near Knoxville.
TVA’s third seasonal visitor center is located at Kentucky Dam and is open April through November. Kentucky Dam is the longest dam in the TVA system at more than 8,800 feet and forms the largest reservoir in the eastern United States, stretching 184 miles.
A fourth center is new to Wilson Dam in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and will have daytime
staffing. Display panels near the power plant describe the struggle between private and public power interests for ownership of the Shoals facilities, which TVA inherited when the corporation was created in 1933.
A fifth visitor center at the Raccoon Mountain 
Pumped Storage Plant remains closed during maintenance at the generating plant, but volunteers will be available to answer questions at Laurel Point, a recreation area open year-around near the upper reservoir.
All five facilities offer information about TVA history, how TVA operates its electric system and how TVA manages the Tennessee River and its tributaries.
The centers have maps, videos, displays and written information about TVA and the construction of each particular site. TVA retirees serve as guides to answer questions about TVA, the history of the facilities and the surrounding areas.
Fontana Dam, located off N.C. Highway 28 near the Tennessee border, is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through October.
Norris Dam, located off Interstate 75, Exit 122 north of Knoxville, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through November.
Raccoon Mountain/Laurel Point, located off Raccoon Mountain Road near U.S. Highway 64/72 west of Chattanooga, is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
Kentucky Dam, located off U.S. Highway 62 east coming from Paducah, Ky., or west from Clarksville, Tenn., operates 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in April and November; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from May through October.
Wilson Dam, located off Reservation Road in Muscle Shoals, is accessible year-around with daytime staffing.
The centers close for major holidays and in times of severe weather.
MEDIA RELEASE/ TVA Public Relations, Knoxville, 865-632-6000
