• Home
  • Insider Secrets
  • Travel Planning Tips
  • Family Vacation Ideas
  • Contact Us
    • About
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Family Vacation Experts - Best Kid Friendly Travel

Your one-stop shop for family vacations: Reviews. Trips. Savings. By parents, for parents.

  • Family Beaches
  • Family Travel Tips
  • Family Vacation Destinations
  • Theme Parks and Attractions
  • Travel Deals

Corning Family Vacation Destinations Fingerlakes Region Holidays & Family Reunions Low Cost Kid Friendly Activities Museums New York

The Corning Museum of Glass

corning-museum-of-glassThank you to The Mother of The Mother’s Handbook for this wonderful guest post about the Corning Museum of Glass.

Nestled in the Fingerlakes region of New York state is a family-friendly gem.

I should preface this by noting that we had just spent ten days doing the “history tour” up the east coast. My four boys had been in the car most of that ten days. We were due in Toronto for a family gathering in the evening, and found ourselves several hours ahead of schedule. The kids needed a break; the parents needed a break. An exhibit on torture devices would have been a welcome relief.

So, tearing frantically through tour guides, we found what we needed. It was amazing.

The Corning Museum of Glass, in Corning, New York, is the showpiece of Corning, Inc., the glass company. Anyone get the symmetry? Corning has pulled out all the stops—the “museum” houses several exhibits of glass art, yes, but it is much more than that (Even the art exhibits are way cool. My kids actually liked them. Their favorite piece: a lampwork chessboard that has rabbis for black and bishops for white. Who says corporate America doesn’t have a sense of humor?).

There is an excellent scientific and technical display, with hands-on exhibits for the children, covering the past, present, and future of glass. For homeschooling parents who live in the area, this is a great field trip.

glassThe fun doesn’t end there. The glass blowing show features master glass-blowers, and a humorous announcer who explains what they’re doing in kid-friendly language. To make it even more interesting for the little ones, they hold a contest, inviting kids to draw something for the glass-blowers to make. They choose one for each show, and the lucky kid gets to take the result home. We still have the M&M-shooting cannon that one of my kids drew to challenge the masters.

If the kids are still holding it together, take them to the workshops, and let them blow their own glass or create their own glass fusion art. Extra fees apply, but they are very reasonable. Where else can a kid blow his own bottle? You can also tour the workshops and watch lampworkers and other artists ply their trades (beware—you may have to explain to your kids why they can’t have a glass furnace at home).

To complete the family-friendly nature of this great attraction, children under 19 get in free.
We had to pry our kids out and back into the car.

The Mother

The Mother is the parent of four boys, ages 13 to 20. She blogs about the people who make mothers’ lives miserable (including, on occasion, the children) at www.mothershandbook.net

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print


3 Comments

SUBSCRIBE

Like this post? Don't miss the next one, have it delivered right to your inbox!

« Kid Friendly Activities In and Around Des Moines, IA
Legoland For The Little Guys »

Comments

  1. Jody says

    February 28, 2009 at 5:41 am

    We passed through Corning on our way to Boston. WE bypassed the museum of glass (a scary option with two under the age of 5) for the Museum of Western Art, which is very kid friendly and includes a search & find for kids on the 3rd floor and a dress up/ play room.

    Reply
  2. Stephany says

    February 28, 2009 at 10:38 am

    Hey Jody, Thanks for this tip! Here’s the link to the museum: http://www.rockwellmuseum.org/. Looking forward to reading about your Boston adventures!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to Best Kid Friendly Travel!

Stephany is the head honcho here at BestKidFriendlyTravel.com who has not let motherhood dampen her lust for travel. She created BestKidFriendlyTravel.com as a way to share with, and learn from, other parents the unique twists that children bring to travel. Together, we'll give our children the world!

Kid Friendly Hotels & Resorts

Family Vacation in the Florida Keys

Kid Friendly Hotel, Wave Street Inn is just 4 blocks from Monterey Bay Aquarium

Kid Friendly Hotel Spotlight: Wave Street Inn in Monterey, CA

8 Family Fun Things to do Around Laguna Beach CA

We Were Featured Here

USA Today Travel cookie mag cover
family getaway
Tripbase Blog Awards 2009
Tripbase Blog Awards 2009

Stay Updated

Get all the best travel deals straight to your inbox!

Popular Categories

  • Family Beaches
  • Family Travel Tips
  • Family Vacation Destinations
  • Theme Parks and Attractions
  • Travel Deals

Kid Friendly Restaurants

3 Kid-friendly restaurants on Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, California

3 Kid-Friendly Restaurants on Pier 39

photo credit: Lucy Anderson

Making Sense -and Cents- of the Disney Dining Plan

How to improve family communication - visit Trinity Pines in East Texas

Affordable Family Vacations in East Texas

Musical Instrument Museum and Organ Stop Pizza in Phoenix AZ

Get all the latest travel deals straight to your inbox

You might also enjoy these Posts

Experience Spring Break Fun in the Sun at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort

Theme park gear Photo copyright Stephany Wiestling. All rights reserved.

Theme Parks in the Summer Heat: How to do it Safely

Anaheim Marriott Disneyland

Make Their Disneyland Dreams Come True in Anaheim!

Outside Central Park Zoo for a Kids Movie Tour of NYC. Photo by Steph Wiestling of BestKidFriendlyTravel.com

Top 5 Family Activities in NYC for Movie Lovers

T-Rex Orlando - photo copyright Stephany Wiestling - all rights reserved

Top 5 Family Activities in Orlando

Copyright © 2023 · bestkidfriendlytravel.com

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.