Among the many unique and interesting venues to visit, Tacoma's Museum of Glass is a contemporary art museum dedicated to glass and glassmaking in the West Coast's largest and most active museum glass studio.

"The museum has established a reputation for hosting impactful and engaging artist residencies, organizing and exhibiting unique exhibitions and creating hands-on programs for visitors," said Tim Bulter,  the museum's Marketing & Communications Director.

He added that the Museum of Glass is a Blue Star Museum, which is part of a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families.

"In collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America, we offer free admission to the nation's active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve," continued Butler.

The Blue Star Museum programs run from Armed Forces Day to Labor Day.

The Hot Shop Heroes glassblowing program offers the experience of blowing your breath down a metal tube to form a bubble inside a molten blob of glass.

Designed with military personnel, veterans and their family members in mind, the program features a team-oriented environment where participants work together as they creatively explore the medium of molten glass.

Hot Shop Heroes launched in the fall of 2013, and the curriculum focuses on Hot Shop safety, fundamental glass making techniques and team building skills.

"The objectives are to offer benefits such as improved dexterity, fine motor coordination and core strength, as well as the opportunity to build self-esteem, explore creativity and access imagination by participating in the arts," explained Butler, "and today, it remains a core educational program for Museum of Glass."

The museum also offers other hands-on glass classes several times a month. These classes include fusing, tack fusing, slumping and mosaic, as well as experiencing the Hot Shop by working with glassblowers on items like ornaments and paperweights.

Moreover, the museum hosts about 35 visiting artists each year, and its mobile hot shop introduces glassmaking into the surrounding locales.

"There is something for everyone at Museum of Glass. We are honored to have spent the past 20-plus years sharing this profound art form with visitors from around the world and with our neighbors," concluded Butler.

"We look forward to continuing our work to enrich lives through glass and glassmaking for many years to come."

The Museum of Glass is located at 1801 Dock Street in downtown Tacoma. For more information, visit www.museumofglass.org, call 253-284-4750, or email info@museumofglass.org to learn more.