Don't touch the glass!

Museums can be a great place to go on a rainy day. We went to the Tacoma Glass Museum on Veterans Day, since we were able to get in for free through the military.  They had a lot of really cool stuff to look at, but our favorite part (including Mia's) was watching them actually blow glass in the studio.

This is what the entire setup looked like.

This guy is working on making a Christmas ornament . I checked out the price in the gift shop, and it was $40! Sorry, but I'm not paying that much for ONE ornament, unless it's a class where I get to make it myself.

This is the very beginning or the ornament. They roll out the molten glass to look a little like a Roma tomato and then dip it into colored glass chips. At that point they heat it again and repeat until they have the colors the way they want them. Then they blow it and shape it.

Aside from loving the studio, the actual exhibits were pretty cool too. Mia didn't do so well in them though, since she wasn't allowed to touch anything. Fortunately the musuem had a place where kids could color for a while. Mia did a great job coloring. :)

I guess that a GLASS musuem was NOT the best idea for a small child, or any child with a lot of energy. Next time I think I will find something that has more hands on activities for children. However, if you are going with a small child that will stay in the stroller, I think you would be fine here.

What kind of musuems have you found that are great for kids? Where are they located?