Visitor Center Closure
In an effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, this Visitor Center is closed. Most state parks across the Commonwealth remain open and available for the public to visit. DCR reminds residents and visitors to avoid gathering in groups, maintain social distancing, carry in and carry out your trash and practice healthy personal hygiene to stop the spread of the virus. Thank you for your cooperation and support as the Commonwealth works to address this public health issue. For more information visit mass.gov/COVID19.
How to visit Massachusetts State Parks Safely and Responsibly.
Visitor Center Description
Housed within a complex of old mill buildings in historic Turners Falls, Massachusetts, the Great Falls Discovery Center’s exhibits show the natural, cultural, and industrial history of the Connecticut River watershed. The Center’s four acres of colorful gardens and open lawn with picnic tables nestle into a bend in the Connecticut River to provide a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere and the perfect place for fun and learning.
Inside the main building, exquisite walk-through dioramas show the plants, animals, and landscapes of this 410-mile-long river from its arboreal source near the Canadian border, through forests and farms, past villages, towns, and cities, all the way down to the estuary at the Long Island Sound. A timeline indicates the impacts of human habitation on each environment over time and suggests safeguards to keep the watershed healthy and useful for all—people, plants, and animals—that live here together.
The Center’s charming Great Hall building is a former machine shop, with a high ceiling, brick walls, large windows, and gleaming old wood floors. It is connected to the main building by a corridor whose windows on one side open onto an old canal (once used for transportation, now for power), faced on the other by a mural depicting what is found beneath the canal water rushing by. The Great Hall is used for regularly held art exhibits and special educational programs and activities for children and adults, as well as for the Friends of Great Falls Discovery Center’s monthly live-music Coffeehouses that warm up the room while raising funds that support the Center’s free public programs.
Located in town yet close to nature, the Center is one end of an easy self-guided walking tour of the interesting little town of Turners Falls, with its historical industrial architecture and distinctive geology, restaurants, shops, and old Carnegie Library. The walk and Canalside Rail Trail along the river and canal runs from Turners Falls to Deerfield and is a favorite site for bird watching. A short distance along the other side of the bridge leads to Barton Cove’s picnic area and camp grounds, where eagles soar over the peninsula.
The Center’s building and exhibits are fully accessible and are free and open to the public. It is a Massachusetts State Park operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, with financial and program support from the Friends of Great Falls Discovery Center.
Visit Us on Facebook to stay informed on the programs and events at the Center and to download our monthly events calendar.
Hours & Free Admission
The Great Falls Discovery Center is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
When the Visitor Center reopens seasonal hours will be:
Open 5 days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays – 10 am to 4 pm.
Open most holidays including New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Presidents’ Day, Patriots Day, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and the day after Thanksgiving.
Closed Thanksgiving Day.
Closed Christmas Day.
FREE ADMISSION – Admission to the Center is free. Almost every program at the Center is free. For fee based programs, any fees or registration requirements are announced on our online events calendar.
EVENTS: When the center is open for events again, please see our events calendar. Additionally, we have printable versions of our events calendars and flyers: Owls of New England Virtual Zoom Presentation.