Nice & Easy Walk
2025-07-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-07-17 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-07-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-07-31 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, 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.

DINO TRAIL WEEK PROGRAM: Dinosaur Kidleidoscope Story Hour
2025-07-11 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Learn about the giant creatures from the past that roamed the Connecticut River Valley. Program includes a story, activities, and crafts. Activities are indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.
* Dino Trail Week:
Dino Trail Week is a celebratory week of performances, films, talks, exhibits, and activities inspired by dinosaur footprints in the Connecticut River Valley. Look for events from all of our partners during Dino Trail Week: Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Piti Theatre, the Beneski Museum, the Trustees of Reservations, Springfield Science Museum, Wistariahurst, and the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Learn more at: dinotrail.org.

DINO TRAIL WEEK TALK: Climate Cycles and Volcanic Singularities During the Dawn of the Age of Dinosaurs
2025-07-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Join us for a dynamic presentation on climate, volcanos, and dinosaurs by Dr. Paul Olsen. The ancient Connecticut Valley rift basin is filled with spectacular, fossil-bearing alternations of deep and shallow water lake sediments that provide a timeline for the beginning of dinosaur dominance 200 million years ago. A huge volcanic event then set off a cold-hot climate whiplash, killing off some dinosaurs while others survived and spread globally. The record of the ecological consequences is now exposed along the Connecticut River, especially at the Great Falls.
Dr. Olsen is Storke Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences at Columbia University/Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. One of the most prominent paleontologists on dinosaurs, he has studied the geology and paleontology of our region in depth. Don’t let his credentials scare you! He’s an engaging speaker, informative and entertaining in equal measure for audiences young and old.
* Dino Trail Week:
Dino Trail Week is a celebratory week of performances, films, talks, exhibits, and activities inspired by dinosaur footprints in the Connecticut River Valley. Look for events from all of our partners during Dino Trail Week: Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Piti Theatre, the Beneski Museum, the Trustees of Reservations, Springfield Science Museum, Wistariahurst, and the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Learn more at: dinotrail.org.

DINO TRAIL WEEK: * Art Naturally: Gel Printing Trace Fossils
2025-07-12 14:00 - 15:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Discover nature and pre-history through story, poetry and art in our series of free art programs. Create an art piece inspired by the valley’s fossilized dinosaur footprints using paint, paper and gel, with instruction and techniques. For adults, teens and children ages 6 and up. All art materials provided. Arrive at 2:00 p.m. for complete instructions
* Dino Trail Week:
Dino Trail Week is a celebratory week of performances, films, talks, exhibits, and activities inspired by dinosaur footprints in the Connecticut River Valley. Look for events from all of our partners during Dino Trail Week: Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Piti Theatre, the Beneski Museum, the Trustees of Reservations, Springfield Science Museum, Wistariahurst, and the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Learn more at: dinotrail.org.

Urban Fern Walk
2025-07-19 10:00 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Join leaders from the Pioneer Valley Fern Society for a free walk along the paved Canalside Rail Trail. Learn to see and identify about a dozen common and uncommon native ferns that grow in surprising places along this recreational area. Meet at the main entrance.

Whalemobile
2025-07-25 15:30 - 17:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
For ages 7—12. Whale watch naturalist, Cynde McInnis, offers a brief presentation about whales. Then 20 people at a time will see the Whale Mobile inflate and get to go inside! Registration required through this link or call 413-863-3214. Funded in part by a grant from the Greenfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Meet in the Great Hall.

Find Us at the Farmers Market!
2025-07-26 10:30 - 13:00 | Peskeompskut Park, Avenue A between 6th and 7th Streets, Turners Falls, 01376
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.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Dragonflies
2025-08-01 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Learn more about our wildlife neighbors in the Connecticut River Watershed. Program includes a story, activities, and crafts. Activities are indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.

First Friday: Monarch Butterfly Migration Station
2025-08-01 15:00 - 17:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Help us welcome the last generation of monarch butterflies to live their entire life in the north before their offspring begin the long journey to Michoacán in Mexico. Find our drop-in butterfly migration investigation station outside the center for artifacts and crafts as we celebrate this continental migration. All ages. Find our station outside the center.

Nice & Easy Walks
2025-08-07 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-08-14 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-08-21 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-08-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Ants
2025-08-08 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Who Lives in the River?
2025-08-15 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Bobcats
2025-08-22 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States

Find Us at the Farmers Market!
2025-08-23 10:30 - 13:00, 2025-08-30 10:30 - 13:00, 2025-09-20 10:30 - 13:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
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 center instead. For all ages.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Spiders
2025-08-29 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Butterflies
2025-09-05 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Learn about our wildlife neighbors in the Connecticut River Watershed. Program includes a story, activities, and crafts. Activities are indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.

Presentation and Walk: Wildlife out Your Window
2025-09-06 10:30 - 12:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Join us on a leisurely, family-friendly combined wildlife presentation and walk by Brad Timm, wildlife ecologist and founder of the Northeast Wildlife Team. This program is inspired by Brad’s book Wildlife Out Your Window: Fascinating Facts About 100 Animals Commonly Seen in the Northeastern U.S., which is full of interesting facts about common wildlife all around us. We’ll start inside with a short presentation that will open your eyes to wildlife in ways you never imagined! Then we’ll take a leisurely stroll up the bike path along the Connecticut River and keep our eyes and ears peeled for all sorts of wildlife as we walk. All ages are welcome and encouraged to join. Meet in the Great Hall.

Nice and Easy Walks
2025-09-11 10:00 - 11:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Skunks
2025-09-12 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Learn more about our wildlife neighbors in the Connecticut River Watershed. Program includes a story, activities, and crafts. Activities are indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Snakes
2025-09-19 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States

Nice and Easy Walk
2025-09-25 10:00 - 11:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - River Otters
2025-09-26 10:30 - 11:30 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
