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.
Enjoy a story, fresh air and exercise! Join us on the grounds of the center for a FREE series of self-guided StoryWalks® featuring children’s picture books. Follow the path to book pages posted along the route. Wonderful stories await! Thanks to the Animals, by Allen Sockabasin. For young readers ages 6—8 and anyone grateful for […]
On view in the Great Hall during open hours: see the top Massachusetts youth entries for the 2022 Junior Duck Stamp competition! This state-wide art contest by students from Kindergarten to High School heightens awareness of the importance of preserving wetland habitats and the delights of wildlife. While you’re here, visit our duck investigation station […]
During Discovery Center open hours 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), habitat diorama scavenger hunts, and a Bingo game at the Welcome Desk.
For ages 3-6, accompanied by an adult. Learn more about our wildlife neighbors who share our home in the Connecticut River Watershed. Program includes a story, activities, and a craft. Activities are indoors and outdoors, weather permitting. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet in the Great Hall.
An easy-paced, 1 to 2-mile guided walk, along the Canalside Rail Trail or the Turners Falls National Historic District, geared for seniors, but open to all ages. Join with others seeking fresh air and exercise. A DCR Park Interpreter highlights local history and natural scenes along the way. Be prepared for the weather. Wear appropriate […]
Get the New Year started off on the right foot! Enjoy a leisurely staff-guided three-mile stroll on the Canalside Rail Trail. This family-friendly hike follows a gentle, level route. Discover the abundant natural, historical, and cultural features that make the Discovery Center and rail trail such an amazing state park! Be prepared for cold weather: […]
For the past 24 years, Joe R. Parzych has been a freelance photojournalist for local newspapers, national magazines, and trade journals. Joe’s unique photographic storytelling provides an Autistic perspective to everyday objects that people overlook. Joe started as an apprentice to his grandfather, Joseph A. Parzych of Gill, MA, and Joe’s passion for local history […]
Under the Snow, by Melissa Stewart. Explore the lives of active and resting winter wildlife. 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 […]
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 local history and natural scenes along the way. Be prepared for the weather. Wear appropriate clothing and sturdy boots. […]
Between 1870 and 1915, millions of logs were driven down the Connecticut River from the North Woods to Holyoke. Let’s explore the log drives and the brazen men who made it happen.
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.
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 local history and natural scenes along the way. Be prepared for the weather. Wear appropriate clothing and sturdy boots. […]
Rabbit’s Snow Dance, by James and Joseph Bruchac. Explore the lives of active and resting winter wildlife. 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 […]
Ever wonder what people used before refrigerators? Ice boxes! Let’s learn about ice harvesting on the Connecticut River which provided ice for food storage and winter jobs. See tools used in ice harvesting and what it took to be an ice harvester. Image courtesy of Montague Historical Society.
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.
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 local history and natural scenes along the way. Be prepared for the weather. Wear appropriate clothing and sturdy boots. […]
1/21—1/29: Tracks in the Snow, by Wong Herbert Yee Explore the lives of active and resting winter wildlife. 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 […]
Let’s go outside and see who’s been here in the snow. Investigate the mysterious signs that wildlife leave behind. Program includes an indoor story, scavenger hunts, and crafts. Bundle up! For ages 3 – 8 with a parent or guardian. Siblings and friends welcome. Meet inside the main entrance.
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.
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 local history and natural scenes along the way. Be prepared for the weather. Wear appropriate clothing and sturdy boots. […]
Meet Joe Parzych and enjoy light refreshments. His exhibit, Photo Beat, Past and Present— Moving Forward in Time, Capturing of the Moment, captures changes in local rural life, helping us celebrate the upcoming Smithsonian Exhibit too - Crossroads: Change in Rural America. Crossroads: Change in Rural America has been made possible in Turners Falls, MA […]
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 local history, weaving in topics from the Crossroads: Change in Rural America exhibit. Wear appropriate clothing for the weather […]
See the village’s ever changing downtown through reproduced images courtesy of the Montague Historical Society Archive. This self-guided storefront exhibition is an open invitation to think about local, regional and national changes in “doing business” in rural America. At participating restaurant and retail stores in downtown Turners Falls including: LOOT, Breakdown Records, The Shea Theater, […]
Exhibition of Illustrations by Nina Rossi. This exhibition of digital illustrations was originally published in the Montague Reporter between 2019 and 2022. Created by local artist and Turners Falls resident Nina Rossi, the illustrations depict scenes of local daily life. Reception Sunday, February 19 at 4pm. "Crossroads: Change in Rural America" will be on view at […]
In the Great Falls Discovery Center's Hallway Gallery, near the dioramas, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA) presents reproductions of historic maps, illustrations, photographs, and paintings exploring perspectives of the image makers. How are our rural places represented in the media? Maps, illustrations, photographs, and paintings were the media of the past. Like today, the […]
In 1900, about 40% of Americans lived in rural areas. By 2010, less than 18% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas. Massive economic and social changes led to massive growth of America’s cities. Through a partnership with the world’s largest museum complex, the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center proudly hosts “Crossroads: Changes in […]
Come be the first to see the Smithsonian Exhibit, Crossroads: Change in Rural America, in Turners Falls! Get the scoop on how rural America has changed since 1900. The Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center board members, expert hosts of the monthly Great Falls Coffeehouse series, provide coffee and refreshments for this big day. […]