Dedicated to preserving the heritage of our rivers.

Welcome to the River Discovery Center!

Featured Exhibit

Lock & Dam

The economy of our river is critical to our nation’s infrastructure and with Paducah as the hub our inland waterways, it is important to see the impact of our river economy.   Our waterway’s system of locks and dams are critical to maintaining river traffic as well as... Learn more

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
Teachers F.A.Q
Teacher FAQ’sWhat are the tour choices?You may come for a self-guided tour, a guided tour or an all-day visit with educational programming, available for K-12. Reservation is required. A self-guided tour will require at least 1.5 hours for an average classroom. This type of visit... 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
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