Corning Museum of Glass
The fountainhead for important American glass innovation also operates a stunning museum
Virtually every person relies upon Corning’s Gorilla Glass (or a similar, later competitor’s) for clear, touch-sensitive, and strong smartphone screens – an underappreciated, American-developed technology innovated by the same people behind optical fiber cables, as well as cookware from Pyrex and Corningware.
In addition to enabling Steuben art glass products, Corning operates an artisanal glass museum in its namesake city, Corning, NY, including live demos of glass sculpting, beautiful works of glass art, and historic/scientific exhibitions. The Corning Museum of Glass is decidedly out of the way for virtually everyone – closest to perennially gorgeous Ithaca, NY – yet a must-see for those who appreciate the vast artistic potential of this material. While it’s not in Orange County, we spotlight it to make sure it’s on more bucket lists.