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.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour – Fish

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 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.

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

A French/Breton Jam Session

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

An informal group of musicians gathers to play the enchanting traditional dance music from France and Brittany, commonly known as bal folk. This is not a performance but rather a coming together of musically-minded friends. The event is free and open to the public to come and go at will. For all ages. Meet in […]

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

Kidleidoscope Story Hour – Eagles

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

Yes, we are open on the holiday, ready with a story for you! 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.

Free

First Friday: Eagle Day!

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

Yes, we are open today! All ages. Enjoy Independence Day by celebrating the eagle, our national bird. Join us at our eagle investigation station outside the center on our grounds. We’ll have artifacts and crafts as we imagine the freedom of flight. In case of rain, join us inside the center.

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

Needle-Felting for Teens and Tweens

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

For ages 11-19, Learn tips and tricks for needle felting while making a 2D monarch butterfly. Visit montaguepubliclibraries.org to sign up or call 413-863-3214. Sponsored by the Montague Public Libraries. This program is supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Meet […]

Free

DINO TRAIL WEEK PROGRAM: Dinosaur Kidleidoscope Story Hour

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 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 […]

Free

DINO TRAIL WEEK TALK: Climate Cycles and Volcanic Singularities During the Dawn of the Age of Dinosaurs

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 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 […]

Free

DINO TRAIL WEEK: * Art Naturally: Gel Printing Trace Fossils

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 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 […]

Free