Hands-On Glass Studio — Attraction in City of Corning

You MUST go to this amazing studio! We traveled to Corning from Georgia and after speaking with the locals, we learned about this amazing place. Several people insisted that we must take a class with Rodi. We drove to the studio, which was just on the other side of the bridge from downtown Corning, and met Rodi. She was incredibly kind and chatted with us for a long time about glass, her work over the years, and she entertained my partner's questions (my partner is a lampworker and makes glass beads). While it is clear that she is highly skilled, talented and knowledgeable, she was also incredibly humble and kind. We came back the next day for a hands on glass experience like no other! The price to make our own pieces, no matter which one(s) you choose, was very affordable especially when compared to the museum. My partner and I both made paperweights with Rodi and her assistant. They thoroughly explained the process in advance and then we created the paperweights with their help. Despite the fact that the glass is very hot, I felt very safe and comfortable with Rodi and her assistant by my side. We then made blown glass pumpkins and that process was much faster due to the nature of blowing glass but Rodi was just as informative and we actually got to blow the glass as opposed to just using a silly little pedal like the museum has. We had to have Rodi mail the pieces to us because we were leaving Corning that day but the shipping charge was beyond fair and she packed everything perfectly. All of the pieces arrived in perfect condition and they were even more beautiful than I had expected. As an added bonus, they etched my name and date onto the bottom of the paperweight at no extra charge (this is optional but now I will always remember when I went). I still can not believe that they are items I created with the help of Rodi! We did give her and her assistant a tip for their time and attention. We loved it so much, I wish we had more to give them! Additionally, Rodi has lots of cool glass pieces for purchase in her shop at incredibly low prices, locally made and not imported. She has sun catchers, pen holders with pens, paperweights, mushrooms, cups, glasses, vases, etc. I guarantee you can find a beautiful piece for yourself or as a gift. I purchased 2 vases for my home and sun catchers as gifts and they were a hit! All this to say, one day, we will return to Corning and instead of this being the place we go to on our last day, it will be the first place we go. Do yourself a favor and call Rodi in advance to schedule your unique hands on glass experience. You will not regret it! (my pictures do not do justice to these...

This is hands down the most favorite experience of the trip for my kids. I’m so happy I found so many awesome reviews for this studio on TripAdvisor so I wanted to make sure to write a review so other visitors know how great this studio is. We visited the Corning Glass Museum before heading over to the studio. Only five minutes away. My kids did the glass blowing years ago at the museum and wanted to try a different experience. I asked them which one they preferred and they said that they love them both but Hand On Glass Studio is their favorite. They said Rodi and her staff were all so patient and kind. They felt it was more informative, less rushed and a more private experience. They each did both the ornament and the pumpkin pieces. There are so many colors to choose from. You need to call the studio ahead of time to book a time slot. More than likely Cindy will be the one answering your calls. She’s very sweet and gave us all the information we needed. Once you arrive at the studio, they are very Covid safe and section off the studio to make sure the people glass blowing are inside a certain section so that they can clean the section afterwards. Once it’s your turn and they sanitize the area, they will sit you down to give you instructions. They are still allowing you to blow directly into the stick but offer two Covid safe options for you to pick from. Both my kids picked placing a brand new mouth piece option to use. Each child started off with the ornament. One of my kids actually blew too much and Rodi used it as the perfect example of how mistakes are ok and you can learn from your mistakes. So patient and kind. Once you are done blowing your piece, you move to another section where you watch them through a plexiglass placing the loop or stem on the ornament or pumpkin. You must leave the pieces overnight to dry in a special dryer that allows to dry slower overnight. You can make arrangement to pick up the pieces the next day or have them mail it to you for a small fee. Rodi was going to be at the studio the next day so we called the next morning to make arrangements to pick up the piece. When my husband went, she chatted him up and gave him a ton of information about where we can check out glass studios in our hometown. She event added two small ornaments for my girls that they love. This is hands down the best experience if you are in the area. Can’t recommend Rodi and her staff enough. Thank you again. We will definitely...

We didn't have an experience. We had an appointment at 4:30 pm, we got there at 4:20, went inside and Noone was there, so we waited inside until 4:45, we said "hello" a could of times and had conversations with each other in hopes someone would hear us. Since Noone showed up my husband decided to call their number. The phone was ringing inside the studio, but Noone entered to pick up the phone. We waited another 5 minutes before we decided to leave. On our way home she called back and said she waited for us. We explained that we were there waiting 20 mi. Past our appointment time, and instead of a simple " im sorry" she kept repeating that she was waiting for us and that we missed each other and that she would have heard us if we walked in. And that we didn't leave a message..... why would we, we were there and she didn't even come out when the phone was ringing, so it wouldnt have mattered. I asked why she didn't pop her head in to see if anyone was there since we set up an appointment. Again we were told because she didn't hear us. She seemed very defensive. Told her it's okay, but it's her business and now she lost our business. To which she replied that she doesn't care, it's not about money but giving people an experience... too bad her prices don't reflect that. Anyway. I NEVER leave bad reviews, and if she bad just apologized, I wouldn't have. Things happen, we are all human. I understand. But the tone in her voice making it seem like we did something wrong, when she did not show up rubbed me...