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: Dragonflies

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

For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Learn more about our wildlife neighbors who share our home. Program includes a story, activities, and a craft. Activities are indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.

Free

Nice & Easy Walk

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

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 ages. Join others seeking fresh air and exercise. A DCR Park Interpreter highlights natural and local history along the way. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and sturdy footwear and bring water. […]

Free

Great Falls Coffeehouse Presents: Jim Eagan & Anand Nayak

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

Join us for the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center’s concert series featuring local talent. Enjoy a mix of folk and folk blues with ginger-style guitar from Jim Eagan and Anand Nayak. Refreshments available. Sliding scale suggested donations, all in support of educational programming at the Center. Meet in the Great Hall.

sliding scale donation

Canal Draw Down History Stroll

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

Check out the annual draining of the Turners Falls canal, take a stroll along the Canalside Rail Trail, and absorb local history with Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center staff, historian Ed Gregory, and DCR staff. Meet at the entrance of the Center for this free two mile walk on flat terrain.

Free

Nice & Easy Walks

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

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 ages. Join others seeking fresh air and exercise. A DCR Park Interpreter highlights natural and local history along the way. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and sturdy footwear and bring water. […]

Free

Art Naturally Series: Fall Felting

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

Discover nature through story, poetry, and art in our series of free Art Naturally programs. Using words and images, instruction, and techniques you create an art piece inspired by the natural world to take home. Celebrate the arrival of autumn while learning about trees and the impact of climate on their annual show of color. […]

Free

Adventures in the Microcosmos: Foldscopes

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

Learn how to use an origami microscope! Join ornithologist Ezekiel “Zeke” Jakub, co-founder of the non-profit Conservacion Panama, for “adventures in the microcosmos,” an opportunity to observe tiny parts of our world up close and get an introduction to scientific methods and conservation—all while using a Foldscope. Free. Registration required. Please call 413-863-3221 to sign-up. […]

Free

Artist Reception: Intervals

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

Join Karen Axtell for a reception celebrating her work, Intervals, a series of mixed-media prints about time. Meet in the Great Hall.

Free

Nice & Easy Walk

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

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 ages. Join others seeking fresh air and exercise. A DCR Park Interpreter highlights natural and local history along the way. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and sturdy footwear and bring water. […]

Free

Source To Sea Cleanup: Canalside Rail Trail

Great Falls Discovery Center 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 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 bit.ly/canalside2023 or contact DCR staff at 413-863-3221 for more information. Meet at the main entrance.

Free

Kidleidoscope Story Hour: Raptors

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

For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Learn more about our wildlife neighbors who share our home. Program includes a story, activities, and a craft. Activities are indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.

Free

Nice & Easy Walk

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

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 ages. Join others seeking fresh air and exercise. A DCR Park Interpreter highlights natural and local history along the way. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and sturdy footwear and bring water. […]

Free