A friend and I were doing a "road trip" through part of New York State and way at the top of our list was visiting the Corning Museum of Glass, however, we BOTH found it to be VERY disappointing!! I was shocked when I signed on here to do this review to see so many positive reviews!!
Admission was pricey -- although we did know this beforehand, at $20/person (when we visited in Oct 2019), I guess I was expecting a bit more... Granted, the place is HUGE -- but there is alot of open/wasted space between exhibits and one entire floor is almost purely demonstrations. We did see some truly remarkable pieces, but was it worth the $ and ALL the trekking we had to do...?? Not really in both of our opinions!
We did attend the glass blowing demonstration, but found that even with cameras, our view was blocked several times during "key" times in the demonstration (like when they were cracking off a piece they had attached to "hold" onto it while working on it -- forget what that process was called). We were VERY curious to see HOW they'd be able to break off the "holding piece" without breaking/cracking the main piece they were creating (a vase) -- but we couldn't SEE it because one of the assistants stood in front of the glass blower with the piece -- and the camera was showing us the "helper's" back as WELL - not the glass piece or what was happening! And this happened more than ONCE! Ultimately we were both ready for the demo to be over before it finished which I was shocked at -- had really been excited to watch it!
We attempted to attend another demonstration, but couldn't even get IN to the room/area it was being held in -- standing room only! We tried to watch from outside the room because we could hear the guy but it wasn't working -- so we moved on...
We had considered doing one of their hands on classes -- but that costs yet MORE -- to the tune of another $22-$32 for the ones we were interested in!! Plus, most of the projects need to either be picked up the following day (and we weren't going to be in the area anymore) -- or shipped -- for yet ANOTHER fee (understandable but sheez...it adds up)! While we would have loved to, we just couldn't spend that additional money... Sadly, after visiting the Museum, we actually wished we had spent our money doing a class instead!!
Another HUGE part of the "museum" is an extremely large "gift shop" -- as well as a smaller shop that carries Corning/Corelle dishes/glassware. The large "gift shop" was ALSO disappointing -- lots of high priced pieces of glass (like $7200) OR stuff "Made in China" that could be bought online!! Like...WHAT??!!! I had hoped to purchase several Christmas gifts there, which did NOT happen! Oh -- and the OTHER thing they had for sale were like a MILLION small glass pumpkins -- that we guessed were made by their staff while teaching the "Make your Own Glass" class (they had a pumpkin one listed)!! Hmmm...profiting yet again!
Word of warning -- parking is also like a MILE away from the actual Museum -- so if you're physically challenged at all, beware!!
Overall, at the end of our "road trip" both my friend and I felt the Corning Museum was the biggest disappointment of all the places we visited -- and one thing we wished we had skipped (and we visited multiple museums/sights)!! While it's "unique", neither of us felt it was worth the time or the money spent there!
Odpowiedź od gospodarza
Oct 2019
We are sorry to hear that you did not have an enjoyable visit with us, it is extremely rare for this to happen, as the many 5 star reviews you mentioned attest to. Our live demonstrations do take place continuously throughout the day in multiple glassblowing studios and demonstration areas. As glassblowing is a dynamic and exciting process to watch, it is usually very entertaining for people to watch the whole way through the creation process, not just when the glass needs to be removed from the irons. There are moments that the assistant does have to stand in certain places for the piece to be made which is why there are cameras everywhere, even inside the reheating furnace. There is also a mezzanine balcony surrounding the Amphitheater's hotshop so guests can see what is happening from all angles.
It is true the Museum does take up a large footprint with its many exhibits that span 4,000 years of glass history. Our docent led tours can be helpful in guiding you through the exhibits and these tours are included in admission.
There is a free shuttle every 10 minutes from the Welcome Center's parking lot which is on the next block from our Museum, actually only a 3 minute walk, that takes visitors right to our front doors as well as to downtown's Gaffer District. It sounds like you missed that option. There is also parking right behind the Museum and wheelchairs available at Admissions for those who need them.
Our Make Your Own Glass workshops are indeed very popular and fun, with a price point that is extremely reasonable compared to anywhere else, including shipping. Shipping is free for the flame worked pendants and there are make and take sandblasting projects as well.
The Shops are indeed very large and have a wide variety of options at all price points. Many local artists make pumpkins for the autumn season and rely on these sales and other pieces they have in the Shops for their living. There are "Made Locally" signs next to local artist's work throughout the Shops.
Safe travels on the rest of your road trip, NY state in the autumn is gorgeous!