Entry No. 32 — the Butte file — filed under: hands-on
Goose Bay Handblown Glass
A working hot-glass studio run by Jim and Terry Gundersen in tiny Townsend, about an hour northeast of Butte toward Helena. The gallery is open to walk-ins most days, but the real draw is their hands-on, one-on-one lessons, by appointment, where you work molten glass alongside the artists to make your own piece. A genuine small-town maker operation, not a tourist factory.
The story
Before setting up on South Front Street in 2002, Jim Gundersen worked as a blacksmith and Terry as a registered nurse. They got hooked on hot glass and built their first furnace in the back room of their house. Today, their working hot shop operates out of a yellow-fronted building in Townsend, about fifty miles northeast of Butte, where they melt raw silica sand at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit to craft custom goblets, vases, roundels, and lampshades.
Most commercial glass studios keep visitors behind thick observation glass or packed onto velvet-roped bleachers. Here, you walk past the gallery shelves into the back room, where a row of mismatched chairs—including a salvaged wooden church pew—sits right at the wide doorway of the hot shop. You sit close enough to feel the radiant blast of the furnace while Jim or Terry pulls a molten gather onto a blowpipe, rolls it through colored glass frits, and tools the glowing glob into shape in under ten minutes.
If you reserve a slot ahead of time, you don't just sit on the pew; you take a pipe and work alongside them at the furnace to blow your own glass ornament or shape a paperweight. And if you check the side counters between glass runs, you'll spot jars of raw honey, beeswax candles, and handmade soaps harvested directly from Jim and Terry's own local beehives.
What it's like
Pull up to the yellow storefront a block off Highway 287 and you'll step into a gallery packed with delicate glass vessels—a setup that immediately makes you tread carefully to keep your coat from catching a shelf. Head through to the back workshop to watch molten glass transformed at the crucible, or take a seat on the church pew while a piece is being blown. If you booked a hands-on session, you'll put on eye protection and handle a pipe under direct instruction. It's a genuine two-person studio rather than a commercial tourist line, so always call ahead to confirm hours or lock in a lesson time before making the drive from Butte.
The move: Make the drive out and take a one-on-one session blowing a glass ornament or paperweight together at the furnace.
📍 Before you go Classes are by appointment only; call (406) 266-4496 or email ahead to arrange. Townsend is roughly 50 miles from Butte.
- 📍 Townsend, MT
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ 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
- Elkhorn Ghost Town (Elkhorn State Park) — Pair a hot afternoon at the furnace in Townsend with a side trip into the quiet mountain valley above Boulder to see Elkhorn's preserved 1890s wooden halls.
- Montana Learning Center — Rice Astronomical Park — Drive north along Canyon Ferry Lake after your glass session to catch an evening star-watching program at the observatories.
- Ringing Rocks — Break up the drive between Butte and Townsend by stopping near Pipestone with a hammer to play tunes on the acoustic boulder field.
Good to know
How far is Goose Bay Handblown Glass from Butte?
It is located in Townsend, Montana, approximately 50 miles northeast of Butte (about an hour's drive).
Do I need an appointment to visit the studio?
Walk-ins can browse the gallery and often sit in the workshop doorway to observe glassblowing, but hands-on lessons require an advance reservation.
How do I book a hands-on glassblowing lesson?
Call Jim and Terry directly at (406) 266-4496 or email ahead to arrange a one-on-one session at the furnace.
What can you make during a hands-on workshop?
You work one-on-one alongside the artists at the molten glass crucible to shape items like a glass ornament or paperweight.
What else do they sell besides blown glass?
In addition to art glass, the shop sells works from local Montana artisans and raw honey, beeswax candles, and soaps produced from the owners' own hives.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · bigskyjournal.com · Tripadvisor · visitmt.com · southwestmontana.com · governor.mt.gov
last checked: 2026-06-24