Went today and really enjoyed being able to watch the glass blowing and ask questions. I think I'll be back simply to watch the glass blowing again. The annual exhibit was extremely informative about things more than glass. The bank vault was really cool too. Definitely made it a unique experience. Overall, worth the visit even just to watch some cool glass blowing. read more

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Ohio has a long, storied glass history, and you can find out all about it at the Ohio Glass Museum. You will see more beautiful Ohio glass here than you ever thought you would in your life, and not because this place is big (it's actually a quite small museum). This museum has a varied and well-curated collection of glass pieces, arranged in a creative way. For instance, in the main room, the glass pieces are arranged by color, and show how different elements on the periodic table influence the color of glass. I don't remember half of the stuff I was told, but I do know that if I come across a piece of glass that's a glowing green color, I should probably think twice about being anywhere near it because it could be radioactive! Because it might have uranium in it. Yikes. It's really cool to learn how the natural elements and materials in the earth affect glass, which is also a natural material that is derived from the earth. Glass is a gift from the earth, which is the lesson that I learned from this museum. This isn't the most kid-friendly museum (because breakable things and kids do not mix), and I think my children were done after about 10 minutes. So if you want to stay and read the signs and learn about glass, I recommend visiting without young people with short attention spans. One of the neat aspects about the Ohio Glass Museum is that they have glass blowing classes, which you can sign up for or sit in the bleachers and watch other people do glass blowing. They also have an amazing gift shop, where you can find all kinds of glass gifts, like ornaments made my local artists, glass trinkets and lots more. read more

Ummmm, how did I not know about this place?!?! I found myself in Lancaster visiting the area on my day off and stumbled across this gem. I'm basically obsessed with glass art of any kind, so I was delighted to find this as I walked the streets of downtown Lancaster. When I entered I was warmly welcomed by the entire staff that were working where I learned that the glass is made by local artists and on-site & that they even offer tours. As I did not have an hour to spend I made a note to myself to make a return visit to experience the tour. The shop had a bounty of blown ornaments, vases, jewelry & smh eclectic art pieces as well. There were so many pieces that I wanted, but in the end I found the one I had to have. That being said I also know I'll be going back soon for additional pieces and the tour. read more

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So much fun! Teacher was very experienced and nice. Even the 14 and 16yo boys got into it and made beautiful pulled flowers. Can't wait to go back! read more

Ohio Glass Musuem - Glass flowers - Museums Near Me - Lancaster, Ohio

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Passing through Lancaster one Sunday, we noticed the Ohio Glass Museum across the street from the café where we had decided to have lunch. I am a huge fan of glass art and of antique glasses and stemware, so I had to go in. The woman who greeted us was very cordial and arranged for us to receive a brief tour by a docent and to see a 20-minute video on glassblowing done right there at the museum. The man who gave us the tour had studied ceramic engineering before working with Corning, GE, and handful of other companies that used glass in various ways, and he was both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what he showed us. After our tour and video, we roamed the small museum for half an hour or so, viewing some truly beautiful glass works made in Ohio during the later 1800s and early-to-mid 1900s, and then walked through the gift shop where I was tempted to empty my bank account on art and glassware. I learned that there is another glass museum in Cambridge, Ohio, which means that I have another day trip to make sometime soon. If you're in Lancaster and like glass art, especially the "everyday" art of plates, bowls, glasses, punch bows, etc., then you must stop in. It isn't a large museum, and you won't spend a huge amount of time there. So you don't have to worry about getting the museum foot aches and mental fatigue that some museums cause after a couple of hours walking through them. It's the perfect size for spending half an hour to an hour, and it's not packed full of people clambering around each other to look at things. So stop in! read more

Ohio Glass Musuem - Display of glass from the 1930s - Museums Near Me - Lancaster, Ohio

This was a beautiful setup to see the origins of the colors in glass created by different elements. I loved how educational and historical the place was. Worth the stop. read more

This is definitely a hidden gem in Lancaster! I happened upon this little museum while driving through and decided to stop in. I was immediately greeted with a smile and offered a tour--for $6, and with the promise of getting to make a glass bead, I thought, why not? The docent was pretty knowledgeable, and walked me to each case to explain its history. Unfortunately, the museum was in the middle of redoing their displays, so some cases were empty of unfinished. However, it seems this museum has access to a lot of great pieces, so I'm sure their next display will be great. After that part of the tour, I was taken into the demo room. I was super excited because, again, I was told I would be making the glass bead. However, it quickly became clear that it was just a demo. The artist was very talented and the demo was interesting, but this was slightly disappointing after what I thought was going to happen. After the demo, I was lead into the gift shop where I could buy what was made, or choose from an extensive collection of other glass goodies. Though I truly enjoyed my tour here, be warned, it is about 2 hours long, which I was not expecting. I am so glad I stumbled upon this museum! It was an overall fun experience and I will definitely be back to take one of their many classes. read more

I happened to see this establishment while eating lunch across the street, so I thought I'd check it out. What a fantastic locally owned museum! This museum has been around for about 10 years. Before that? No OHIO glass museum. After introducing myself and explaining that I wanted to get a few pics for their Yelp page, Mr. Eckman, Director, encouraged me to check out the pieces that we're currently on display. He didn't even charge us, which proves his true love for this art form! He gave some history, and if asked, he gladly told us the backroad of the items. They were working on changing in a new exhibit, but I got to see a lot of the permanent works. I started in the front Gift Shop. Talk about a total color explosion! A ton of vases running the entire rainbow. Glass jewelry, glass tree ornaments, and nick knacks. The main exhibit hall, like I said was undergoing some shuffling and reorganization for the new exhibit, but there were still several things that caught my eye. I think the glass sculpture that showed the human body's veins was absolutely incredible. So intricate, spot-on precision. Mind blowing! If patrons check it out during the week/Saturday, glass blowers are actually working, and you can watch the entire process of making glass art with your own eyes - that's a must! I am excited to check back when the new show is up and going! read more

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The kid and I took the glass blowing class and it was fantastic. Teresa did a great job especially w the kid he's 9 and she let him really be hands on which was awesome her assistant even gave the kid a list of books and YouTube channels he can learn from. Great experience we will definitely be back. I'm picking up our glass today so we will see how we did in our end. Go take a class!!! read more

This gem of a museum is well worth a visit if you are anywhere in the Hocking Hills area. We all enjoyed the personalized tour of the Libbey glassware exhibit that was on display and learning about its history. We were totally mesmerized watching and hearing from the glass blower, Scott. The classes on glass blowing that they offer will be in a future visit for us for sure. They have many cool ornaments and seasonal items for sale in their gift shop and the museum is clean, well organized, affordable, and easily accessible. I highly recommend visiting and supporting this 501(c)3 organization. read more

This place was great. We did a class and my wife and I, made pumpkins paperweights. The instructor was a wonderful teacher and explained everything and kept us constantly informed of what we were doing and how to keep us safe while doing our project. I hope I can add pictures to this review once we pick up our pumpkins. We can't wait to see how they turn out. Only downside is that you have to wait ecleast 24 hours to pick up your piece after you are done. read more

Great little museum!! The tour groups are small, so you can ask questions and get and answer. The building its self was an old bank, so at one point in the tour we got to go in the vault. I like how they used the space and how many different pieces you get to see. The highlight of the tour is watching the glass blower make a piece from start to finish. He was very good and explained each step so we understood what he was doing and why. We were also shown a short movie on the history of Anchor Hocking glass. This trip will not take more than an hour and a half. The real star is in the gift shop. The pieces that they selling are the same pieces that were made during tours. We really enjoyed this tiny gem of a museum. read more

I treated my team to an ornament blowing class. What a delight Therese was. We all learned so much, had a great time together, and really enjoyed making our own ornaments. I highly recommend taking a class and enjoying one of our special gems in Downtown Lancaster, Ohio. read more