LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Fontana Dam

Learn about the history of the Tennessee Valley Authority and hydroelectric power at Fontana Dam.

Preview your trip on the web: Fontana Dam

Learn more

  • The New Deal Network An educational guide to the Great Depression of the 1930s that includes articles, speeches, photographs, letters, lesson plans, and many other primary sources.
  • Lesson plan: The great energy debate This lesson explores the controversial issues surrounding the energy debate in the United States. Students will research recent initiatives being taken in this area and analyze their implications.

Related pages

  • Grandfather Mountain: Everything from 48 years of weather records at the highest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains to images of and information about wildlife, mountains, and creatures.
  • Energy Xchange Renewable Energy Center: By tapping the methane gas generated by decomposing garbage in landfills, this company is able to convert the gas to a low cost, responsible source of energy.
  • Idol’s Dam and Power Plant: Though electricity first arrived in Winston and Salem in 1887, it was the development of Idol's Dam and Power Plant a decade later that truly moved the towns forward in terms of productivity and industrial development.

Related topics

Legal

The text of this page is copyright ©2008. See terms of use. Images and other media may be licensed separately; see captions for more information and read the fine print.

The highest dam in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) system, Fontana ranks among the most beautiful in the world. It is surrounded by the extraordinary beauty of the Smoky Mountains, the adjacent national forests, and deep river gorges. The Visitors Center at Fontana Dam is designed to offer an entertaining and educational introduction to hydroelectric power, and the history associated with the building of Fontana. The Powerhouse, reached by Fontana’s Incline Tram, is open for tours, and both the Observation Deck and the Overlook provide exceptional views of the dam, the unusual discharge tunnels, and the mountain scenery. For more information, please call 1-800-467-1388.

For information on the history of Fontana Dam, and photos, and maps, see: this pdf from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

View Larger Map