Corning, New York’s City of Glass, is a Wonderful Small Town to Visit
By Tab Hauser
Senior Writer
Corning New York, called “America’s Crystal City”, is located in the south-central region of New York State, a four-hour drive from New York City. The region is called NY’s Southern Tier.
Corning has a very appealing “small town USA” feel with 11,000 residents. Each year nearly half a million people come here to see the world’s most comprehensive glass collection at the Corning Museum of Glass.
While the glass museum is the big draw to Corning, there is much charm about this town. Corning is a good starting place when visiting the Finger Lakes.
History, Science and the Art of Glass
The Corning Museum of Glass was established in 1951 by the city’s largest employer, Corning Glass Works (now Corning Incorporated) on their 100th anniversary.
The museum has over 50,000 items on display. On the property is the Rakow Research Library, said to be the foremost center in the art and history of glassmaking. The library is open by appointment only.
The very diverse collections at the Corning Museum of Glass means that there is something to see for nearly anyone’s interest.
How Glass Works
For people not into the art of glass, there is a gallery about the science and practical applications of it in the tech world.
History buffs can go through a large gallery containing 3500 years of glass objects from all over the world.
You can get up close to pieces from ancient Egypt and Northern Mesopotamia.
Glass enthusiasts will enjoy the shapes, colors and styles in the various galleries that run from practical and upscale items for the home to contemporary art.
If you are a fan of the hit television show “Blown Away”, you can get into a Corning “hot shop” with a gaffer or glassmaker.
You can pick out a shape and colors for a glass item you wish to have made. The artist will then explain every step in the process while making your piece.
During the production, you will be instructed to blow air into the long tube via a foot pedal to shape the glass piece that you will take home.
You can watch a live 30 minute narrated version of the museum’s Blown Away demonstration from the Hot Shop stage throughout the day.
Here, master craftsmen working together start with glowing molten glass at the end of the tube, blow it, mix it with color, blow again, re-heat, spin, trim, and cut a beautiful piece in under 30 minutes.
What you will see are some of the same glass-making techniques discovered by the Romans that are still in use today.
Allow two to four hours for a visit here depending on your interest or fascination with glass and extra time for their large shop. www.cmog.org
American and Western Art in Corning
Corning’s Rockwell Museum of Western Art is housed in the impressive old city hall built in 1893.
The building, which is worth a look by itself, is designed in a neo-Romanesque style having a stone base, with red brick towers in the middle and corners.
The inside galleries are just as good-looking as the outside.
Here you will see western and Native American art along with rotating exhibits on its three floors.
Allow an hour for your visit here. website
Gaffer Historic District in Corning
When in Corning take time to visit Market Street in the Gaffer District.
The area is named after highly skilled artistic glass-blowing artisans.
This street has a very good small-town feel and nearly every shop is independently owned.
Corning’s Gaffer District has 100 boutiques, restaurants, glass shops, breweries and galleries. These stores are in the classic brick buildings of the time built over 100 years ago.
The street has a lot of charm. One store whose sign gets attention is the Glass Menagerie due to it being made of 560 pieces of glass.
Little Joe Tower
Closer to the end of West Market Street you can see the landmarked Little Joe Tower built in 1912.
This 200-foot tower was used in producing scientific products such as glass tubes where the molten glass would be stretched the entire length and then cut.
An excellent place for a taste of the region on Market Street would be FLX Provisions.
Here we enjoyed a delicious charcuterie platter of locally produced cheeses and meats along with a sampling of nice wines from the Finger Lakes just 30 minutes north.
For an unusual dessert, try their warm potato chips drizzled with chocolate – tahini sauce and a local dessert wine. website
For information on FLX and their connected restaurants click
For events and business listings in the Gaffer District visit website
Corning’s Prettiest Neighborhood
Before leaving Corning drive across the bridge to the south side of the city to Cedar Street and the Southside Historic District.
There, weave your way up and down between 2nd and 5th streets to see many of the beautiful historic homes done in the styles of Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian architecture. There are several B & B’s in this neighborhood.
The Hands On Glass Studio allows kids and adults to blow and shape their own ornaments or paperweights.
Appointments in advance are necessary and if you are not staying in town overnight, your piece will need to be shipped to you. www.handsonglass.com
Lodging
We chose the recently renovated Hilton Gardens of Corning because you can walk to everything you need to see and do. A cooked to order breakfast is included. I recommend the larger suites for those that need more room or for families.
Corning Information can be found here.
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Another great article. We had visited Corning many, many years ago and thought that one day, we would return. Your review and pictures has certainly moved Corning and the entire area near the top of our list of future vacations. Thank you for taking us along for the ride and for reminding us of the beautiful and interesting destinations in our own backyards.
Great article by a real traveler and a real photographer. I’m sorry now that when we went up to the finger lakes we did not go to Corning. I didn’t know how pretty it was.
I think the most interesting thing though is the warm chips with chocolate and tahini. Yum.
Another good article from Tab. Local travel is a thing now. Corning seems like a nice place.
The warm chips with chocolate and tahini was a great selling point for me as well.
Yes absolutely, there are many reasons to visit (or RE-visit) Corning — for the unique Museum of Glass and the Rockwell Art
Museum – not to mention as a kick off point for a NY Finger lake adventure. The Museum of Glass was interesting because it recalled for us the stunning glass displayed at the Glass Museum in Murano (near Venice), and the tortured glass displayed at the Naples Museum of Antiquity resulting from the pyroclastic blast from erupting Vesuvious, as well as remembering the glass on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and glass-making factories/artisans working in Hebron (West Bank). And the twisted glass from sand at the Alamogordo, New Mexico 1945 nuclear blast sites. Many don’t know that Corning makes the glass for our iPhones! (…Glass making is complex- involving physics and chemistry, as well as managing unique requirements/objectives and has been an important part of our species since almost the beginning.) …And the Rockwell Museum is A MUST-SEE , especially for those with an interest in Native American art and have traveled in the American Southwest. Your great memories from your touring will sweep in over you at the Rockwell Museum! And you’ll see works by American artists like Norman Rockwell, Remington and William Leigh, whose works are immediately recognizable stylistically and which adorn the interior spaces of the Explorers Club in NYC as well as, most famously, the American Museum of Natural History (those African diorama paintings are by Leigh). Jeepers, after all that, i am totally ready to return this fall for the leaf peeping and Corning Museum-eering! Enjoy your visit !!!
Thanks for bringing the town of Corning to life with your article Tab, the next time that we travel to New York state, we will definitely put it on our list of places to explore
Love the description of the museum and surrounding area. I’m inspired to go there, however this article makes me feel like I was already there.
Great article and pics! I have not been to Corning in many years and really enjoyed reading about the town. Also, my girlfriend has been talking about doing a fall foliage trip in NY State and she loves glass. Thanks for the details!
Great information Tab. I have added “America’s crystal city” to my destination list!
A great piece on this special town. The article was very informative and I will have to put Corning on our list of the next places to visit. Looking forward to following more of your travels.