The Great Falls — the falls that give the village its name — drop the Connecticut River sharply between Bellows Falls and North Walpole, New Hampshire. They are not enormous, but they are the most significant drop on the whole 660 km of the Connecticut River, which is why the canal that bypasses them mattered so much when it opened in 1802.
These days most of the water is diverted through the hydroelectric plant, so the falls only roar at high water in spring and after heavy rain. There is a viewing platform at the end of Bridge Street with information panels about the river's history. The petroglyph site is at the same spot.