Friends of The Great Falls Discovery Center

Make a Fairy House
2025-11-15 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376, United States
Join Montague Public Libraries staff at the Great Falls Discovery Center to build a fairy house! Use natural and recycled materials to create a magical home for the fair folk. This program is for kids and teens, ages 3–16, and their caregivers. Meet in the Great Hall.

Nice and Easy Walk
2025-11-20 13:00 - 14:00
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.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Moose
2025-11-21 10:30 - 11:30
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.

Wildflowers in Winter
2025-11-22 13:00 - 14:30
Embrace the identification challenge of matching summer wildflowers with their winter attire with naturalist Dawn Marvin Ward. Learn how through photographs, clues, and hands-on exploration to expand your knowledge of the winter landscape. Discover the amazing variety of shapes, forms and textures, learn lore and legend of our local plants, and gain an appreciation of wildflowers in their dormant state. Dawn is an educator and naturalist who has been sharing her knowledge and appreciation of nature for over 20 years. Note: This program is not a hike, specimens will be available inside. Meet in the Great Hall.

A French/Breton Jam Session
2025-11-23 14:30 - 16:30
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 the Great Hall.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Thanks to the Animals
2025-11-28 10:30 - 11:30

Gratitude After Gravy Walk
2025-11-28 13:00 - 14:30
Get moving this holiday weekend and connect with nature and local history! Join us for a leisurely walk along the Canalside Rail Trail. The walk is about 3 miles long, on a level paved surface. Makes for an easy stroll for adults and children ages 8 and up. Be prepared for cold weather, dress in layers. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water. Walk begins at the front entrance to the Great Falls Discovery Center. Inclement weather or icy trail conditions cancels.

Nice & Easy Walk
2025-12-04 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-11 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-18 13:00 - 14:00

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Raccoons
2025-12-05 10:30 - 11:30
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.

Program Change: First Friday: Reading the Streetscape
2025-12-05 15:00 - 16:30
Rather than having a walk today with the severe cold, we are transforming this program today to be a guided pop-up station at our welcome desk inside. Every mill town is like an open book, if you know how to read it. Learn about the unique architecture of Turners Falls. Join other activities as part of First Friday— a monthly downtown event. For ages 8 and up.

Ongoing - Great Hall Exhibit: Home
2025-12-07 - 2026-01-30
From forest floor to canopy, Will Close’s exhibition of original watercolor and mixed media paintings invites viewers to rediscover the beauty and complexity of the natural world that surrounds us. Accompanied by thoughtful text and quotes from experts and longtime New Englanders alike, each piece reveals the hidden stories, characters, and connections that shape the living landscape we all call home. For all ages.

It’s a Wonderful Night in Turner falls ... for the Birds!
2025-12-12 16:00 - 20:00
Bring the wonder of nature to your home by crafting your own bird feeder. Keep warm with hot cocoa and conversations about how different feeders attract different birds during It’s a Wonderful Night in Turners Falls – a town-wide event. Bird feeder making continues on Saturday, December 13, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. For all ages. Meet in the Great Hall.

It's a Wonderful Day in Turners Falls ... for the Birds!
2025-12-13 10:00 - 12:30
Bring the wonder of nature to your home by crafting your own bird feeder. Keep warm with hot cocoa and conversations about how different feeders attract different birds.

A Holiday Music Session
2025-12-14 14:30 - 16:30
Join us for a soothing respite during the busy holiday time. Come listen to Danse Café — a trio of musicians, featuring guitar, clarinet, and fiddle — who play traditional European and
American holiday music. This is an informal gathering of three musically minded friends to celebrate the lovely music of the holidays. The event is free and open to the public to come and go at will. For all ages.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Ducks
2025-12-19 10:30 - 11:30

Gingerbread Houses
2025-12-20 13:00 - 15:00
Children and teens are invited to build an easy gingerbread house, using graham crackers and an assortment of candy. For ages 3-16, accompanied by an adult. Sponsored by the Montague Public Libraries. Meet in the Great Hall.

Winter Solstice Walk
2025-12-21 14:00 - 16:00
Enjoy our annual tradition of sharing poetry, storytelling and light on this accessible 2.5-mile walk along the Canalside Rail Trail. Stay after the walk for hot cocoa and music. Dress for the weather and bring water. Meet outside the Discovery Center’s main entrance. For adults and children ages 6 and up. Inclement weather or icy trail conditions cancels.

A French/Breton Jam Session
2025-12-21 14:30 - 16:30
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 the Great Hall.

Ongoing - School Vacation Week: Mammal Adaptation Investigation Station
2025-12-26 - 2026-01-04
Come learn about local mammals and their unique winter adaptations. Every animal has special adaptations that enable them to survive in their winter habitats. Explore through touchable artifacts (pelts, replica skulls, and replica tracks), and habitat diorama scavenger hunts. For ages 4 and up.

Ongoing - Indoor StoryWalk® - Under the Snow
2025-12-26 - 2026-01-11
Explore the lives of active and resting winter wildlife, in the book, Under the Snow, by Melissa Stewart. For ages 3 and up, accompanied by an adult. Meet at the welcome desk.
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Story Walk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson. This StoryWalk® is provided by Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Interpretive Services.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Deer
2025-12-26 10:30 - 11:30

Art Naturally: Felting Life Under the Snow
2025-12-28 10:30 - 12:00
Discover nature through story, poetry and art in our series of free art programs. Create a wintry landscape “painting” with wool, fleece, pre-felt and water. Learn how different animals adapt to snow, whether foraging or waiting out the cold. For teens, adults and children ages 6 and up (accompanied by an adult). All materials provided. Meet in the Great Hall at 10:30 a.m. for complete instructions.

UPDATE: First Day Hike is Cancelled. Hot Chocolate Reception is still on!
2026-01-01 13:00 - 15:00
Update – unfortunately, icy trail conditions prevent us from offering a guided First Day Hike this year. However, we’d love to see you for a hot chocolate reception in the Great Hall from 1 – 3 p.m. instead! We we will have an activity on mammal winter adaptations and scavenger hunts for our Connecticut River habitat dioramas. Join us and help us kick off the New Year!
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Enjoy a leisurely three-mile stroll down the Canalside Rail Trail and get the New Year started off on a Great Falls note! This family friendly hike follows a gentle route and provides an opportunity to discover the abundant natural, historical, and cultural features that make the Great Falls Discovery Center and Canalside Rail Trail such an amazing State Park! Be prepared for cold weather: dress in layers and wear winter boots. Dogs are welcome on-leash. Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center. Meet in the Great Hall. Hike begins at 1:15 p.m.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Bear
2026-01-02 10:30 - 11:30

Art Naturally: Gel-Printing Snowflakes
2026-01-03 10:30 - 11:30
Discover nature through story, poetry and art in our series of free art programs. Get inspired by the story of Vermont’s Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley. Build your own blizzard with paper snowflakes through instruction and gel-printing techniques. For adults, teens, and children ages 6 and up accompanied by an adult. All materials provided. Meet in the Great Hall at 10:30 a.m. for complete instructions.

Sunday Matinee Documentary Series: Werner Herzog’s Fireball from Sandbox Films
2026-01-04 14:00 - 16:00
Join us for the start of our free winter Sunday matinee documentary series from Sandbox Films beginning with Werner Herzog’s Fireball. Since before we existed, meteors have haunted our planet. Over billions of years, extraterrestrial bombardments have reshaped the very nature of our planet, causing species to perish or flourish — and perhaps even seeding the initial building blocks for life on Earth. Today we can still hear the echo of these meteor impacts, ringing through culture, mythology, and scientific research. Fireball takes viewers into the mystery at the heart of these fallen stones, exploring their origins and their impacts on civilization. Sandbox Films is an Oscar-nominated production studio that illuminates the art and beauty of scientific inquiry: humankind’s weird, messy, brilliant way of navigating the world. Free hot chocolate! For adults and teens aged 14 and up. Meet in the Great Hall. (Snow date January 17).

Nice and Easy Walk
2026-01-08 13:00 - 14:00
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 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.

Kidleidoscope Story Hour - Winter Birds
2026-01-09 10:30 - 11:30
