Entry No. 44 — the Bozeman file — filed under: hands-on
Goose Bay Handblown Glass
A handblown glass studio and shop on the main highway in tiny Townsend, where Jim and Terry offer one-on-one, hands-on sessions to make your own blown-glass piece. It's the rare close-ish spot where you can actually gather molten glass and shape it yourself rather than just watch a demo. Sessions are arranged individually by phone.
The story
Pull up to the single stoplight in Townsend on Highway 287 and look for the French's-mustard-yellow storefront tucked between grain elevators and cattle trailers. That is Goose Bay Handblown Glass, founded in 2002 by Jim Gundersen, a former blacksmith, and Terry Gundersen, a former registered nurse. Jim built his own glassblowing furnace—which blasts at well over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit—originally running it at their house before moving the hot shop into the back room of their Front Street studio.
Most commercial glass operations fence you off behind safety glass to watch a distant demonstration. Here, Jim and Terry run one-on-one, hands-on sessions where you hold the blowpipe yourself. Under direct instruction, you stand at the open furnace, gather a molten ball of glass, roll it through colored frits, and blow and shape your own vase, bowl, or ornament.
What it's like
The front gallery is lined with shelves of light-filtering glass goblets, cruets, and vases alongside local honey and beeswax candles—a setup so bright and dense you will instinctively tread lightly. Pass through to the back workshop, where mismatched chairs and a wooden church pew sit right in front of the roaring furnace. If you called ahead to book a session, Jim or Terry will walk you through the physical choreography of twirling hot iron and controlling the air in the pipe. Just know that freshly blown glass has to cool slowly in an annealing oven overnight, so you cannot take your creation home on the spot.
The move: Drive over to Townsend and book back-to-back one-on-one sessions so you each blow your own glass ornament or vase.
📍 Before you go About an hour northwest of Bozeman and by appointment only; call ahead to schedule your hands-on session.
- 📍 Townsend
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 101 S Front St, Townsend, MT 59644
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Bleu Horses — You will drive right past this hilltop herd of 39 blue steel horses along Highway 287 on your trip between Three Forks and Townsend.
- Montana Learning Center Observatory (Mike & Lynn Rice Astronomical Park) — Pair your daytime furnace session with night-sky viewing through Montana's largest public telescope on the shores of nearby Canyon Ferry Lake.
- Elkhorn State Park (ghost town) — Trade the 2,000-degree glow of the glass shop for the silent timber ruins of Fraternity Hall and Gilliam Hall in this quiet silver-boom ghost town.
Good to know
How do I schedule a hands-on glassblowing session?
Sessions are arranged strictly by phone ahead of time. Call Jim and Terry at (406) 266-4496 to set up an appointment.
Can I take my custom glass piece home the same day?
No. Hot glass requires an overnight cooling process in an annealing oven to prevent cracking, meaning you will need to pick it up the next day or arrange for shipping.
Do I need prior glassblowing experience to participate?
No experience is necessary. Jim and Terry provide direct, one-on-one guidance through every step of gathering, coloring, blowing, and shaping the molten glass.
Can I visit without booking a hands-on class?
Yes. You can browse the front showroom's handblown glassware and local goods, or sit in the workshop's church pew to watch Jim and Terry work at the furnace.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · bigskyjournal.com · Tripadvisor · Yelp · southwestmt.com
last checked: 2026-06-24