As with any great masterpiece, a lot of skill, hard work, and ingenuity have gone into making Corning “America’s Crystal City.”

What started out as a small glass factory in the late 1800’s has transformed into Corning Incorporated, a worldwide leader in glass technology and innovation. It’s really no surprise that Corning would become home to The Corning Museum of Glass: the largest glass museum in the world with art and artifacts dating back over 3,500 years, as well as new work hot out of the furnace.

But don’t be fooled. Nearly half-a-million people visit The Corning Museum of Glass each year, and over and over and over you’ll hear them say, “I had no idea!” You’ll see massive glass sculptures (so big they created a 100,000 square foot addition to showcase some of them) that will leave you wondering, how did they do that. Artifacts from the past 35 Centuries that reveal human ingenuity at its finest with everything from small decorative pieces, perfume bottles, depictions of ancient Pharaohs to intricate, delicate stemware, elaborate cut glass, remarkable stained glass, and more unusual pieces than you can imagine.

We’ve spent decades exploring and expanding the possible uses of glass and developing new ways to make it better, stronger, and even more beautiful. Skilled glass artists create works of art before your eyes in our local glass studios, where you’re encouraged to try your own hand at glassmaking, not to mention the many glass galleries where you can shop for one-of-a-kind pieces made right here. See for yourself why the work of Frederick Carder and Steuben Glass have been considered some of the finest crystal and glass art in the world. Maybe you’ll even find a piece to add to your own collection.

Be prepared to see glass in a whole new light.