Friends of The Great Falls Discovery Center

Nice & Easy Walk
2025-01-24 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-01-31 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-02-07 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-02-14 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-02-21 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-02-28 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-03-21 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-03-28 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) and 14 more dates | 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.

Nice & Easy Walk - Tenements of Turners Falls
2025-03-07 13:00 - 14:00 | 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. Special topics—March 7: Turners Falls Tenements; March 14: Riverside neighborhood in Gill.

Nice & Easy Walk - Riverside neighborhood in Gill.
2025-03-14 13:00 - 14:00 | 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. Special topic March 14: Riverside neighborhood in Gill.

Wissatinnewag Walk - Friends of GFDC only
2025-05-03 09:30 - 11:00 | MA
Saturday May 3, 2025
9:30 a.m. (Pre-registration necessary)
On Saturday May 3, the Friends of the Discovery Center will host a guided
visit and hike on Wissatinnewag, the Nolumbeka Project, Inc property in Greenfield.
Special event for Friends members only.
The hike will be guided by Nolumbeka chairman David Brule
and land steward Brent Pitcher.
This walk and talk will cover stories of the land from a spiritual, historical,
ecological, and archaeological perspective.
There will be some moderate hiking on rough terrain, wear appropriate shoes.
Be prepared for ticks!
The walk is limited to 20 members. Please register at this site:
https://greatfallsdiscoverycenter.org/friends-hike-at-wissatinnewag/
Note: You can join or update your membership at the hike OR on Friends website
https://greatfallsdiscoverycenter.org/friends-of-the-gfdc/
Registered members meet at the Discovery Center at 9:30 a.m. to carpool to
the Wissatinnewag site.
Required Liability Waivers will be available on site to sign prior to the walk.
For further info & questions call (413) 774-0204
Rain or shine ~ Heavy rain cancels

Slow Birding Walk
2025-05-10 10:00 - 12:00 | Migratory Way at intersection of G and 15th Streets, Migratory Way, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Slow Birding Walk
Start World Migratory Bird Day with local ornithologist and birder Chad Witko during a slow-paced, mindful birding experience along the Turners Falls Power Canal. This guided walk will focus on discovering and learning about newly arrived migrants in a relaxed and reflective setting. The walk takes place on a flat, paved surface and should be accessible to most.
Note: This walk is a precursor to Chad’s presentation, Shared Skies: Celebrating Migratory Birds and the Communities They Connect, held at the Great Falls Discovery Center later the same day at 2:00 PM.
About your guide: Chad works for a major bird conservation organization, serves as an eBird reviewer for Windham County, VT, and is the founder of Birding University.
To register, email Chad Witko at birdinguniversity@gmail.com.
$20 per person. Limited to 15 participants.
Date: Saturday, May 10, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Turners Falls Power Canal
Park in the small lot on G Street, on the west side of the canal (at the start of Migratory Way).

Summer Solstice Nice & Easy Walk
2025-06-20 13:00 - 14:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, 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.

Nice & Easy Walk
2025-06-26 10:00 - 11:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, 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 along the way. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. Meet outside the main entrance.

Pride Hike: Canalside Stonewall Stroll
2025-06-28 10:00 - 12:00 | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, 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 ages 10 and up. Meet outside the main entrance.

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.
