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.

  • Art Naturally: Fields & Forests — What Do Bees Need?

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

    In honor of Pollinator Week, make your own native bee habitat by “painting” with yarn, fleece, pre-felt shapes and water. Will your bees live in a tree trunk or holes in the ground, in a nest made of mud or leaves? Learn how important native bees are, especially for growing food. For ages 4 & […]

    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 […]

    Free
  • Ongoing – Chill Out Indoor Story Walks® – Berry Song, by Michaela Goade

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

    Come on inside and Chill Out with DCR! You can find “Cool” activities for kids and families inside, including indoor StoryWalk® all summer long! Meet at the welcome desk. Accessible during open hours.  This story is a gorgeous celebration of the land and the powerful wisdom of elders. For ages 4 – 8 and everyone who […]

    Free
  • Program Update: Nice and Easy Walk will be a Talk Indoors

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

    Instead of a walk today our program offering at 10 a.m. will be a talk and demonstration about silk with information about the McLane Silk Mill that used to be in Turners Falls. Meet in the Great Hall! Cancelled: Easy-paced, 1- to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or downtown Turners Falls, geared […]

    Free
  • Kidleidoscope Story Hour – Eagles

    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. Siblings and friends are welcome. For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Meet in the Great Hall.

    Free
  • First Friday: Eagles

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

    Celebrate the bald eagle, our national bird by joining us at our drop-in eagle investigation station outside the Center on our grounds. We’ll have artifacts and crafts as we imagine the freedom of flight. Find out how long your wingspan is!  In case of rain, join us inside the Center.

    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. For all ages.

    Free
  • Nice and 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 older adults, but open to all. Enjoy some 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 – Coyotes

    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. Siblings and friends are welcome. For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Meet in the Great Hall.

    Free
  • Ongoing – StoryWalk®: Dino Trail Week*®: Daring to Dig by Beth Strickler

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

    Includes the stories of Mary Anning, a hero of fossil discovery, and of Mignon Talbot and the discovery of podokesaurus holyokensis. Enjoy this story for young readers ages 8 – 12, and everyone who appreciates women in science.  The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard […]

    Free
  • Dino Trail Week* – Dinosaur Footprints at Barton Cove: History and Geology Walk

    Barton Cove Day Use Area Barton Cove Road, Gill, MA, United States

    Join Sarah Doyle and a guest geologist/paleontologist for a leisurely walk around Barton Cove in Gill, MA. Learn about the role of this site in the 19th-century discovery of fossilized dinosaur footprints when the property was owned by Roswell Field, a local farmer and businessman who was an early discoverer of the tracks. Dress for […]

    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 10:30 a.m. in the […]

    Free