Dedicated to preserving the heritage of our rivers.

Welcome to the River Discovery Center!

Featured Exhibit

River Bottoms

River Bottoms: This exhibit includes  mussel and dredgeboat displays with 2-minute videos,  in addition to videos about non-source pollution and water quality.

 Mussels: Our rivers host approximately 50 species of mussels or freshwater clams.... Learn more

News & Events

Educational Programs

Career Day
Rivers of Opportunity Career Day is an all-day career fair that invites area high school students to come to the center for an event focusing on river-related careers. Representatives from the towing industry, KY Fish and Wildlife, US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Coast Guard and other marine-... Learn more
Animal Encounters
Animal Encounters is a 3-hour program for second graders. RDC partners with The Land Between the Lakes Nature Station to teach children about animals in our riparian environment. The students are divided into rotations as they visit the various stations. The program meets Core Content for second... Learn more
Adopt-a-Towboat
Adopt-a-Towboat is a year-long educational program which matches up a real towboat and its crew with a classroom in the region. The local towboat companies commit one of their vessels as an off-site,  teaching  "classroom" as the students learn about the industry and its impact... Learn more
Off-site Visits
When available, staff members will come to your school to present educational programming. There will be a small transportation fee for schools outside of Paducah. If interested, please call, 270-575-9958 or email, ej@riverdiscoverycenter.org,  E.J. Abell, Director of Education. Programs... Learn more