Friends of The Great Falls Discovery Center

Source to Sea Cleanup
2025-09-27 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Hard work, real fun, true impact: the annual fall trash cleanup of the Connecticut River and its tributaries. Join DCR staff to clean up the Canalside Rail Trail. To register, visit SourcetoSeaCleanup.org/event/Canalside-rail-trail, or contact DCR staff at 413-863-3221 for more information. Meet at the main entrance. For ages 8 and up.

National Public Lands Day Celebration
2025-09-27 10:00 - 16:30
Join conservationists from New England to celebrate National Public Lands Day and learn about public wildlands in the region by pitching in with the Source to Sea River cleanup from 10:00 a.m. — noon, enjoy lunch, then dive into teach-ins and workshops to learn how you can protect wild nature and public lands in New England. Expect fun, food, music, and an opportunity to deepen your knowledge about New England public lands. RSVP and see the full agenda at: actionnetwork.org/forms/save-the-date-national-public-lands-day-celebration. Sponsors include Sierra Club Massachusetts, Climate Action Now Western Mass, Atowi, Standing Trees, and more.
For Source to Sea Cleanup, meet outside the main entrance.
For National Public Lands Day Celebration afternoon events, meet in the Great Hall.

Montague Community Fair - Mammal Investigation Station
2025-09-27 14:00 - 17:00
Celebrate “Good Neighbor Day” with an afternoon of free family activities and learn about local community organizations. Join DCR staff at the fair to learn all about our mammal neighbors at our activity table with mammal pelts and crafting. The fair has light refreshments, music, and fun activities for all ages, in collaboration with Montague Public Libraries. Unity Park is located at 56 First Street in Turners Falls.

Find Us at the Farmers Market!
2025-10-04 10:30 - 13:00
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.

Wings Without Borders: A Bird Migration Talk
2025-10-25 14:00 - 15:00
Birds are among nature’s most remarkable travelers, carrying stories across continents with every wingbeat. This talk explores migration as a biological wonder and a source of human inspiration, weaving connections between landscapes. Together we discover how the movements of birds echoes themes of resilience, belonging, and change. Join ornithologist Chad Witko (Birding University) for a journey into the science and symbolism of migration. For ages 12 and up and everyone is welcome to enjoy the Migrations exhibit art. Meet in the Great Hall.

Nice and Easy Walk
2025-11-06 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-20 13:00 - 14:00
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.

First Friday: The Great Scavenger Hunt Challenge
2025-11-07 15:00 - 17:30
Join us for a self-guided scavenger hunt adventure to test your spotting skills in our Connecticut River watershed habitat dioramas. How many animals, trees, and plants can you find? Scavenger hunt worksheets will range from fun and easy to extra super hard where camouflage is the name of the game! Meet at the welcome desk.

Nice & Easy Walk
2025-11-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-04 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-11 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-18 13:00 - 14:00

Wildflowers in Winter
2025-11-22 13:00 - 14:30
Embrace the identification challenge of matching summer wildflowers with their winter attire with naturalist Dawn Marvin Ward. Learn how through photographs, clues, and hands-on exploration to expand your knowledge of the winter landscape. Discover the amazing variety of shapes, forms and textures, learn lore and legend of our local plants, and gain an appreciation of wildflowers in their dormant state. Dawn is an educator and naturalist who has been sharing her knowledge and appreciation of nature for over 20 years. Note: This program is not a hike, specimens will be available inside. Meet in the Great Hall.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Thanks to the Animals
2025-11-28 10:30 - 11:30
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.

Gratitude After Gravy Walk
2025-11-28 13:00 - 14:30
Get moving this holiday weekend and connect with nature and local history! Join us for a leisurely walk along the Canalside Rail Trail. The walk is about 3 miles long, on a level paved surface. Makes for an easy stroll for adults and children ages 8 and up. Be prepared for cold weather, dress in layers. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water. Walk begins at the front entrance to the Great Falls Discovery Center. Inclement weather or icy trail conditions cancels.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Raccoons
2025-12-05 10:30 - 11:30
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.

It’s a Wonderful Night in Turner falls ... for the Birds!
2025-12-12 16:00 - 20:00
Bring the wonder of nature to your home by crafting your own bird feeder. Keep warm with hot cocoa and conversations about how different feeders attract different birds during It’s a Wonderful Night in Turners Falls – a town-wide event. Bird feeder making continues on Saturday, December 13, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. For all ages. Meet in the Great Hall.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Ducks
2025-12-19 10:30 - 11:30

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Deer
2025-12-26 10:30 - 11:30

UPDATE: First Day Hike is Cancelled. Hot Chocolate Reception is still on!
2026-01-01 13:00 - 15:00
Update – unfortunately, icy trail conditions prevent us from offering a guided First Day Hike this year. However, we’d love to see you for a hot chocolate reception in the Great Hall from 1 – 3 p.m. instead! We we will have an activity on mammal winter adaptations and scavenger hunts for our Connecticut River habitat dioramas. Join us and help us kick off the New Year!
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Enjoy a leisurely three-mile stroll down the Canalside Rail Trail and get the New Year started off on a Great Falls note! This family friendly hike follows a gentle route and provides an opportunity to discover the abundant natural, historical, and cultural features that make the Great Falls Discovery Center and Canalside Rail Trail such an amazing State Park! Be prepared for cold weather: dress in layers and wear winter boots. Dogs are welcome on-leash. Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center. Meet in the Great Hall. Hike begins at 1:15 p.m.

Nice and Easy Walk
2026-01-15 08:00 - 17:00, 2026-01-22 13:00 - 14:00
Easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, 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.

Great Hall Guest Speaker: The Secret World of Freshwater Mussels
2026-01-31 14:00 - 15:00
The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) – Young Professionals Committee presents a talk by Freshwater Malacologist, Virginia Martell, on the vital roles that freshwater mussels play in our aquatic ecosystems, including water filtration and nutrient cycling. The talk includes discussion of Massachusetts’ populations of mussels that are at risk, the evaluation process for environmental permits, the fundamentals of freshwater mussel biology and ecology and their connection to Massachusetts’ environmental permitting requirements. Virginia Martell specializes in freshwater mussel restoration efforts targeting state and federally endangered species. For free registration visit: maccweb.org or call the center to learn more. For adults and youth 12 and up. Meet in the Great Hall.

Ongoing: Indoor Story Walk® — Rabbit’s Snow Dance
2026-02-01 - 2026-02-28
Read master storytellers Joseph and James Bruchac’s Rabbit’s Snow Dance, a hip and funny take on an Iroquois folktale about the importance of patience, the seasons, and listening to your friends. Rabbit loves winter. He knows a dance, using an Iroquois drum and song, to make it snow—even in summertime! When rabbit decides that it should snow early, he starts his dance and the snow begins to fall. The other forest animals are not happy and ask him to stop, but Rabbit doesn’t listen. How much snow is too much, and will Rabbit know when to stop? Meet at the welcome desk.
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Story Walk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson. This StoryWalk® is provided by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Interpretive Services.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Porcupines
2026-02-13 08:00 - 17:00

Ongoing - School Vacation Week Investigation Station: Amphibians and Reptiles in Winter
2026-02-15 - 2026-02-22
What are amphibians and reptiles up to during the winter? Join us at our investigation station by the Welcome Desk to find out. Explore through touchable artifacts and habitat diorama scavenger hunts. For ages 4 and up.

Sunday Matinee Documentary Series: How Deep is Your Love? from Sandbox Films.
2026-02-15 14:00 - 16:00
Our free winter Sunday matinee documentary series from Sandbox Films continues with How Deep is Your Love? Scientists explore the mysterious deep sea to collect and name undiscovered species. As they uncover mesmerizing creatures and ecosystems thriving in darkness, a looming threat emerges: the prospect of deep-sea mining in this untouched wilderness. This film weaves wonder with urgency, challenging us to balance the drive for resources with the intrinsic value of an ecosystem. As we journey through this breathtaking realm, we are left to ponder – how deep is our love? Free hot chocolate. For adults and youth ages 12 and up.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - When Will It Be Spring?
2026-02-27 10:30 - 11:30

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Frogs
2026-03-06 10:30 - 11:30

Art Naturally – Paper Quilting Migrations
2026-03-07 10:30 - 12:00
Discover nature through story, poetry and art in our series of free art programs. With instruction and technique, you create an art piece to take home from fabric, paper, needle and thread, inspired by the spring bird migrations. Or, keep it simple with quilting using paper only. For adults, teens and children ages 6 and up (accompanied by an adult and adept with a needle). All art materials provided but feel welcome to use your own. Meet in the Great Hall at 10:30 a.m. for complete instructions.
