The cottages are built on winding, climbing streets, and almost all of
them have good views of the surrounding mountains.
“Hotel” Covers
1200 Acres
Here's one of the most unique
vacation resorts in the country.
If you want to I'd in next year.
you*<l better start working on it
right now.
Hi/ HIM. SHARPE
1‘hoKn by John Mcnuner
THE largest hotel in this country
is located in North Carolina,
It will accommodate only
around 1 .200 guests, but each guest
has an average of an acre apiece
to use. The corridors total some
five miles asphalt or gravel —
and the bellhops and chambermaids
use automobiles in doing their
chores.
That’s Fontana Village, unique
experiment in resorts being under¬
taken on a year around basis by
Government Services. Inc., which
leased for 30 years a whole town
from TVA and turned it into a
modern vacation center near the
shores of gigantic Lake Fontana,
created by the fourth highest dam
in the world.
The Village actually is the resi¬
due of the neat little town erected
for workmen who built the dam.
When construction was completed,
the village was put up for lease,
lock, stock, and barrel; and Gov¬
ernment Services, Inc., a non-profit
agency, took it over just so.
Included in the lease are all the
accoutrements of a well operated
resort hotel, such as a cafeteria,
barber shop, beauty parlor, post-
office. churches, recreation hall,
medical center, grocery store, drug
store, and other facilities. Govern¬
ment Services. Inc., is now putting
in a 24-hour snack bar, a swim¬
ming pool, riding stables and
similar attractions. A quarter-mile
dock for boats will be ready next
year, and already sight-seeing ex¬
cursion boats and fisherman's skiffs
are for rent.
In addition, the village has its
own fire and police departments,
street maintenance crews, garbage
collectors and other municipal de¬
partments.
Fontana today really is a huge
tourist court with hotel service.
All the rooms are in cottages, cab¬
ins and trailers — neat streamlined
homes evolved from years of cx-
Kriments by TVA. They rent
>m $30 a week to $84 a week,
depending upon size and whether
or not the occupant wants to keep
house. But differing from auto
courts is the multitude of services
usually found only in first-class
resort hotels. When you check in
at the registration office, a bell-hop
hops into his car and guides you to
your cabin. There you’ll find a com¬
pletely electrified (even to heating
units) home. Ice is in the refrigera¬
tor. and a modern electric stove is
ready for service, while electrically
heated water boils instantly into
your bath.
Every day, motorborne maids
bring linens, towels, soap, and do
such cleaning as is necessary. All
you need to take to Fontana is
yourself and your clothes every¬
thing else is on the scene.
Bordering on the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, Fontana
is somewhat out of the way, though
a new access road is being built
into Bryson City, but already the
first 100 dwelling units opened for
use have been well patronized.
Other dwellings are being opened
as fast as Government Services can
equip them, and by 1947 it is hoped
to have 400 buildings in operation.
Government Services, Inc., origi-
ally was established to provide
certain facilities for emergency war
workers. Chartered as a non-profit
organization, it found itself with
a healthy surplus, and the directors
decided to lease Fontana Village
as an experiment in vending reason¬
ably priced vacations. Biggest at¬
traction, of course, is the monu¬
mental dam itself, rising 480 feet
from bedrock, and the lake which
it creates. TVA officials, basing
their guess on visits to nearby
Norris dam, estimate that 1,000.000
a year will come to Fontana to see
this gargantuan piece of engineer¬
ing. When it is considered that
bordering Great Smoky Mountains
National Park is the most popular
in America, the estimate may not
be far-fetched.
So that these curious Americans
may see to their hearts’ content,
an incline railway is being built
down the butt of the dam, and
visitors soon may ride from the
top of the structure right into the
five-story powerhouse, where, from
a special gallery, they can see the
THE STATE. September 21. 1048
6