Take a day trip to Corning Glass

A glass sculpture, made entirely from glass fibers.

A Saturday trip to Corning, New York, to visit the Corning Museum of Glass was a colorful jaunt, first to visit the museum and next to make my own glass ornament. Sometimes it's good not to grow up.

Corning is about 188 miles from York, or a 3.5 hour drive. The drive is quick and pleasant, speeding up U.S. route 15 over the mountains through Selinsgrove, Williamsport, past Mansfield and finally to Corning.

Check the Corning web site for what to do while you're there, and don't assume it's the usual boring museum. Make an appointment to make your own sculpture, ornament or beads, (you can make appointments online) for an extra fee. Then wander the museum that explains the history of glass a lot clearer than you ever thought (excuse the pun).

 Among other things, you'll see bendable glass, fiber optics, art pieces and the invention of a particular kind of glass that came 30 years before there was even a use for it. That's a fascinating story-- hint: You're using it right now. 

There are plenty of glass sculptures that defy logic and how they were crafted. Stories of huge globes and the history of telescopes, lenses and microscopes. If it's about glass, you'll see it here.

If you want to make a longer trip of it, visit Clyde Peeling's Reptiland in Allenwood (between Williamsport and Lewisburg). Now, this is a must-see for anyone who enjoys the beauty of reptiles, or is just mystified by them. For those who can pass them up, there is 6,500 square feet in which to hide from them.

In Williamsport, check out the Peter J. McGovern Little League Museum with your little sluggers or the King of Grocery stores, Wegman's. If you haven't shopped at a Wegman's, you're missing a real treat-- in a lot of different ways.