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.
Enjoy a story, fresh air, and exercise! Join us on the Discovery Center’s grounds for a free self-guided StoryWalk® featuring We All Play by award winning Cree artist Julie Flett. For all ages 0–7 and anyone who loves to play, this story is a beautiful ode to the animals and humans we share our world […]
StoryWalk®: Fatima’s Great Outdoors, by Ambreen Tariq 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. Enjoy a family camping adventure, a love letter to the outdoors, and a reminder that […]
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 […]
Scott Strong Hawk Foster is a Native American photographer whose proud roots include Hassanamisco Nipmuc, Mohegan, and Cherokee lineage. His exhibit captures travels throughout the ancestral homelands of the Native American Peoples of New England. While attending powwows, cultural events, workshops, and Indigenous practices that span millennia, Scott’s passion highlights the rich, resilient, diverse cultures […]
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 […]
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.
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.
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.
Enjoy a story, fresh air, and exercise! Join us on the Discovery Center’s grounds for a free self-guided StoryWalk® featuring Bowwow Powwow by Brenda Child. For ages 3–7 and anyone who loves dogs and powwows! 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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail and downtown Turners Falls, geared for older adults, but open to all. Dress for the weather with sturdy footwear and bring water. Inclement weather cancels. This week’s topic is the geology of downtown Turners Falls in celebration of Dino Trail Week! Meet at the […]
Learn about 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. For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Meet in the Great Hall. * Dino Trail Week An asterix identifies Dino Trail Week programs, part […]
In Greenfield, join Piti Theatre, Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association and Great Falls Discovery Center staff for interactive exhibits, activities, fossils and a chance to make up a dino story with Story Wizards: Dino Drama. Location: on the lawn in front of the 2nd Congregational Church on the Common. For All ages. * Dino Trail Week […]
Help us create a “We the People” banner together inspired by the United States Constitution. Pick out core statements, phrases or meaningful words from our Constitution and place them on the banner. You are also invited to place your handprint on the banner (non- toxic washable paints). Come learn about the Constitution, how our government […]
Discover dinosaur pre-history through story, poetry, and art in our series of free art programs. Create a Jurassic habitat diorama for your own dinosaur, with instruction and techniques or make your own Jurassic inspired collage. For adults, teens and children ages 6 and up. All art materials provided. Arrive at 10:30 a.m. in the Great […]
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. Enjoy the story Sploot by Sadonna Heathman. Two squirrels. One mission: stay cool! When the summer sun is blazing, two silly squirrels will try […]
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.
Join photographer Scott Strong Hawk Foster, whose proud roots include Hassanamisco Nipmuc, Mohegan, and Cherokee lineage, for an artist reception. While attending powwows, cultural events, workshops, and Indigenous practices that span millennia, Scott’s passion highlights the rich, resilient, diverse cultures and history of the Indigenous peoples that are still here and living amongst us. Light […]
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 […]