Hot Apples, Warm Pumpkins At Corning Museum Of Glass

In addition to galleries filled with more than 45,000 glass art and historical objects spanning 35 centuries, hands-on exhibitions dealing with the science and technology of glass, and live glassblowing demonstrations, the Museum also offers a unique fall line-up of special activities, through October 31: Watch as expert glassblowers create glass pumpkins, apples and other fall items during live, narrated Hot Glass Harvest Shows at 9:45 a.m. every day.

All ages can be a designer in the Museum’s You Design It; We Make It! feature of the Hot Glass Show glassmaking demonstrations. Visitors can submit a drawing of something they’d like to see made in glass. At select shows throughout the day, glassmakers choose a design that inspires them and produce that piece from start to finish.

Working with professional glassmakers, all ages (as young as preschool) can blow and shape molten glass to create their own glass pumpkins at a 40-minute hands-on Make Your Own Glass experience ($22 per person). Ages 14 and up can shape an apple paperweight ($40 per person).

The Museum’s major exhibition, “Botanical Wonders: The Story of the Harvard Glass Flowers,” features glass fruit and flower models made for Harvard University at the turn of the 19th century. Visitors can view these incredibly realistic models and learn more about the glassmakers who made them, as well as the techniques used to make them. A special feature is a demonstration using period glassmaking equipment.

Those who prefer to buy rather than make can choose from Glass Pumpkin Patch ripe for the picking in the Museum’s international GlassMarket, one of the largest museum retail shops in the country.

The Corning Museum of Glass is located in America’s “Crystal City,” Corning, NY, in the heart of Finger Lakes Wine Country and is full of charming shops, abundant restaurants, and many unique glass galleries. The surrounding region is populated by several beautiful wine trails, featuring regional food, wine, and outdoor attractions, including gorges, lakes and waterfalls.

Other fall activities in the region include:

September 15: Leaves and Lobsters on the Lawn, Glenora Wine Cellars in Dundee (about 30 minutes drive). Enjoy live music and lobster dinner outdoors on the winery lawn, overlooking scenic Seneca Lake.

* September 21-22: Crystal City Jazz & Wine Festival: Enjoy shopping, wine tasting and live outdoor jazz music in the Crystal City.

* September 27-30: 25th Annual Apple Festival in Ithaca, home of Cornell University (1 hour drive) featuring apples in all forms: cider, pies (pie eating contest), jam and more.

* September, October and November: Harvest season for all area wineries, as well as pick-your-own apple seasons at area orchards. -- www.cmog.org