KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Independence Day is Saturday and what better way to celebrate than to take advantage of the public lands and waters managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“The Tennessee Valley is known for its incredible natural beauty and the many ways available for the public to enjoy it,” said Rebecca Tolene, TVA vice president of natural resources. “Part of TVA’s mission is serving as a steward of public lands and waters, ensuring they are protected for the use of current and future generations.”

If you are looking for a way to safely enjoy the outdoors over the holiday weekend, opportunities are closer -- and more numerous -- than you think:

• Boat, fish or swim on any of the 47 reservoirs in the TVA system
• Hike or bike on more than 140 miles of trails
• Take the family camping on one of the six TVA campgrounds, or dozens of other camping areas surrounding the reservoirs
• Or just explore any of TVA’s 229,000 acres of undeveloped land
• An interactive map is available to help you discover all of the opportunities to experience TVA lands and waters near you.

And as you are making new memories with your family, be sure to share photos with TVA during our summer photo contest. Just tag the photo with #TVAsummer and post it to your personal Twitter or Instagram account. Or, you can upload the photo directly to TVA’s Facebook page. For complete contest rules and information, visit www.tva.com/photocontest.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.