Entry No. 43 — the Milwaukee file — filed under: glassblowing
Hot Shop Glass Studio & Gallery
A glass studio and gallery in downtown Racine offering hands-on glassblowing and fusing workshops near Lake Michigan.
The story
Standing inches away from glowing molten glass in downtown Racine isn't your typical day trip. Hot Shop Glass Studio & Gallery operates at 239 Wisconsin Avenue, just blocks from Lake Michigan. Rather than keeping visitors behind velvet ropes, the studio pulls you directly into the heat of the furnace floor.
The craft relies on brute thermal physical chemistry and heavy, simple tools. You'll manipulate glowing glass gathers using flat metal marvers to shape and cool the surface, heavy metal jacks to pinch necklines, and hollow blowpipes to inflate the mass into shape. Whether shaping raw clear batch into hand-blown drinkware or sculpting decorative glass pumpkins, you're working against tight cooling timers before the piece hardens.
What it's like
Expect real heat coming off the furnace and continuous physical instruction. You'll handle long steel blowpipes, roll hot gathers across metal marvers, and work the jacks while keeping your piece spinning so gravity doesn't warp it out of round. Reserve your furnace workshop online well in advance since weekend spots are limited.
The move: Reserve a weekend furnace workshop to manipulate molten glass with marvers, jacks, and blowpipes to craft blown glass tumblers or decorative glass pumpkins.
- 📍 Racine
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 239 Wisconsin Ave, Racine, WI 53403
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Milwaukee Blacksmith, Inc — Pair an afternoon of manipulating molten glass in Racine with a session hammering hot iron at a working industrial forge.
- American Science & Surplus — Follow up your glass craft session by browsing aisles of vintage laboratory glassware, eye droppers, and oddities.
- At Random — Cool off after working near the furnace heat with a boozy, hand-blended ice cream cocktail in a dark Naugahyde booth.
Good to know
Do I need prior experience to take a class?
No experience is required. The studio offers beginner-friendly weekend furnace workshops where instructors guide you directly through handling the hot tools and molten glass.
What kind of items can you make in the workshops?
Depending on the specific session, participants craft blown glass tumblers, decorative glass pumpkins, or fused glass pieces.
Where is the shop located?
You'll find it at 239 Wisconsin Ave in downtown Racine, Wisconsin, located near the Lake Michigan shoreline between Milwaukee and Chicago.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site
last checked: 2026-07-21