Events

The Great Falls Discovery Center hosts community programs and events, rotating art exhibits in our Great Hall and a Coffee House hosted by the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center.

Shared Skies: Celebrating Migratory Birds and the Communities They Connect

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, United States

On World Migratory Bird Day, join ornithologist Chad Witko (Birding University) for an inspiring exploration of our avian migrants. Celebrate this year’s theme, Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities, highlighting the remarkable journeys of North America’s migratory birds. Through cutting-edge research from across the hemisphere, explore how birds connect people and communities throughout the […]

Free

Ongoing – Outdoor StoryWalk®— We Planted a Tree

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, United States

Ongoing: Outdoor StoryWalk®— We Planted a Tree Enjoy a story, fresh air and exercise! Join us on the Discovery Center’s grounds for a free self-guided StoryWalk® featuring a children’s picture book. Follow the path to book pages posted along the route. We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow is for ages 3 to 7 and […]

Free

First Friday: Migratory Fish on 3rd Street

Third Street - Downtown Turners Falls 24 - 42 Third Street, Turners Falls, MA, United States

Join us on 3rd Street for RiverCulture’s First Friday event and learn all about migratory fish at our investigation station. During the event 3rd Street, from Avenue A to the Brick House, is open to pedestrians only.

Free

Annette Spaulding Talk: Recent Diving Discoveries in the Connecticut River

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, United States

Join us for a talk by Annette Spaulding, an experienced master scuba diver, whose favorite place in the whole world to dive is in the Connecticut River, one of only 14 rivers in the United States that are designated heritage rivers. Annette is the first person to identify short-nosed sturgeon above dams in the river. […]

Free

Summer Solstice Nice & Easy Walk

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, United States

Let’s kick off the summer season! Easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for seniors, but open to all. Enjoy natural and local history along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet at Main Entrance.

Free

Find Us at the Farmers Market!

Peskeompskut Park Avenue A between 6th and 7th Streets, Turners Falls

Join DCR staff for family activities at the Great Falls Farmers Market, located between 6th and 7th streets along Avenue A at Peskeompskut Park. In case of rain, you can find our activities inside the Discovery Center’s Great Hall instead. For all ages.

Free

Nice & Easy Walk

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, United States

We’re beating the heat by moving Nice & Easy Walks to Thursdays at 10 a.m. during the summer months of June, July, and August. Join us for an easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for seniors, but open to all. Enjoy natural and local history […]

Free

Pride Hike: Canalside Stonewall Stroll

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, United States

Celebrate Pride and 56 years since Stonewall by hiking along the Canalside Rail Trail! Be in community with nature and each other as we walk and talk beside a historic canal. This hike is a 2.6-mile round trip hike on a flat, paved trail. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. For […]

Free

JAMB-O-Ree: A Jurassic Armored Mud Ball Unveiling and Celebration

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, United States

Join us in celebration of the arrival of an ancient boulder full of Jurassic Armored Mud Balls! Enjoy refreshments, a multi-media presentation by Professor of Geology, Richard Little, and meet our new favorite geologic sedimentary structure right here on the grounds of the Center. Learn about our Friends Group in a brief annual meeting, the […]

Free

Ongoing – Dino Trail Week Program: Indoor StoryWalk®—Daring to Dig: Adventures of Women in American Paleontology

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, United States

Enjoy the story Daring to Dig by Beth Strickler. For young readers ages 8—12, and everyone who appreciates women in science. Includes the stories of Mary Anning, the unsung hero of fossil discovery, and of Mignon Talbot and the discovery of Podokesaurus. Meet at the welcome desk. The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson […]

Free

Ongoing: Outdoor StoryWalk® — Agua, Agüita: Water, Little Water

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, United States

Enjoy a story, fresh air and exercise! Join us on the Discovery Center’s grounds for a free self-guided StoryWalk® featuring Agua, Agüita: Water, Little Water by Jorge Tetl Argueta. For ages 4 to 7 and anyone who appreciates the water cycle! Follow the path to book pages posted along the route. The StoryWalk® Project was […]

Free

Nice & Easy Walk

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, United States

Easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for seniors, but open to all. Enjoy natural and local history along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet at the main entrance.

Free