Friends of The Great Falls Discovery Center
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.
Join us inside the Center for drop-in family-friendly activities and crafts all about how animals keep cool, including a story about splooting squirrels. What can we learn from animals during the heat of summer? What’s your plan to keep cool? Come on in and chill out and make your own Flat Squirrely to take on […]
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 […]
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.
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.
For thousands of years people have gathered at the Great Falls to tell stories. Enjoy the self-guided StoryWalk ® Mosbas and the Magic Flute by Western Abenaki author Jesse Bruchac, at the Pocumtuck Homelands Festival at Unity Park on First Street along the river’s edge. Find out how Mosbas is changed forever when he finds […]
A free two-day celebration at Unity Park on First Street in Turners Falls, sponsored by the Nolumbeka Project and RiverCulture. This festival is the perfect combination of live music, drumming, dancing, storytelling, native crafts and food. On Saturday August 1, 10 am—5 pm, families may visit the Northfield Mountain and Great Falls Discovery Center tent […]
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.
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 are welcome. Meet in the Great Hall. 8/7: Bobcats 8/14: Ants 8/21: Who Lives in a River?* 8/28: Butterflies
Join us on a walk to the site of the former McLane Silk Company, which was near today’s Swanson’s Fabrics. Hear the stories of two creative businesses and what they have in common. After WWI, the McLane mill purchased millions of yards of surplus “cartridge silk” to repurpose into “Armistice Cloth” suitable for garments. Today, […]
Free and for all ages. Join Wildland Firefighters from the DCR Bureau of Fire Control & Forestry to hear a reading of The Smokey Bear Story and learn about campfire safety. Tour a Wildland Fire Engine and a Turners Falls Fire Department fire truck, try a scavenger hunt, and meet Smokey Bear himself who is […]
Come see the raptors up close and personal! Meet in the Great Hall for a free program for all ages. See birds of prey presented by Tom Ricardi, a licensed rehabilitator and wildlife biologist. Tom provides an educational presentation on their lives and habitats as well as conservation. You may see a variety of raptors […]
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.