The Corning Museum of Glass is a not-for-profit museum dedicated to glass. Located in the Finger Lakes region, a couple hours from Buffalo and Rochester, it’s the perfect place for a day trip or staycation. It’s also a great place to take a time out from wine tours while visiting the Finger Lakes wineries.
It was a brisk walk up the museum. It’s up on a little hill and the wind was cold and blowing. If you go in the winter, dress warm, even for the short walk from the parking lot across the street to the entrance.
The exhibits are seemingly never endless, with pieces for thousands of years ago to today. Every time you turn a corner you see a new piece, a new period, a new technique. You’d think it would be impossible to spend hours looking at glass art, but I assure you it’s not when you’re at the Corning Museum of Glass. Here is just a few of my favorite pieces from our visit.
There’s also a studio where you can watch professional glass blowers create pieces in real time. We went on a random Tuesday so there weren’t many people there. We basically got a personal lesson from the local experts and a designer and glassblower from France.
We saw the drawings of her plans, and the process and teamwork that goes into creating just one piece of art. It was incredible to watch.
There’s also a great gift shop with your usual items, including a $1,000 anniversary glass edition of Monopoly that I really wanted but didn’t get. It also has tons of Corningware and Pyrex at a great price.
Admission is a great value, $18 for AAA members and kids 17 and under are free! It’s a great place to visit.