While spending the month in Huntington, we found the most amazing glass factory in Milton, West Virginia. It’s called, Blenko Glass Factory and the factory is one of the oldest original glass factories in West Virginia!
It’s also one of only 19 glass factories across America that still offer glass-blowing tours.
We decided to make a quick road trip detour stop before our meeting in Huntington and, I know what you’re thinking, a glass factory? That sounds boring! Well, Blenko Glass Factory is anything but boring. The Blenko Glass Factory has a visitor center where you can visit the Blenko Glass Museum, shop, and watch how glass is made on the observation deck. The visitor center is free to enter and is open until 5 pm on most days.
While at the Blenko Glass Factory, we were even fortunate to get our Blenko Glass souvenirs signed by Mr. John W. Blenko himself.
What is Blenko Glass?
We had never heard of Blenko Glass before entering this glass factory, but Blenko Glass is apparently very expensive and can date back to 1893! Each piece of Blenko Glass is hand-blown and features exquisite color, skilled craftsmanship, and imaginative designs.
After over 100 years in Milton, West Virginia, the factory is still owned and operated by the Blenko family.
Where is the Blenko Glass Factory & Visitor Center?
The Blenko Glass Factory and Visitor Center is located in a really small town called, Milton, West Virginia. This town is about 24 miles from the city of Huntington, West Virginia, and 35 miles from Charleston, WV. The exact address for the Blenko Glass Factory is:
9 Bill Blenko Dr, Milton, WV 25541
The Blenko Glass Visitor Center
While Blenko Glass Factory does offer paid tours of the factory, they do require tour participants to be 14 or older. Since my kids are still younger, we opted to visit the Blenko Glass Visitor Center and let the kids watch the glass-blowing process from the observation deck. This was still a very neat experience and once we were finished, we were able to walk around the small Blenko Glass Museum on the top floor of the Blenko Visitor Center.
The museum has so many amazing pieces and even includes some of their stained-glass designs.
Though the museum is very small, it is a very educational experience that provides a lot of information about the history of Blenko Glass.
Once we were finished walking around the museum, we decided to purchase a small souvenir downstairs in their gift shop. And, while Blenko Glass is very expensive, the gift shop does include some affordable, cheaper pieces so everyone can own a piece of Blenko Glass. We found these suncatchers for just $14 each, but we did see pieces for as low as $3. If you’re shopping and can’t find any cheaper pieces, just ask at the register, they were more than happy to tell us where their cheapest pieces of Blenko Glass were.
Our time at the Blenko Glass Visitor Center only lasted around 30 minutes, but it was a memorable and unique experience. We enjoyed it so much that we are now wanting to visit all 19 of the glass-blowing factories that still offer tours across America. So, if you’re driving through Milton, West Virginia, I highly suggest making the road trip detour and stopping here. Let me know in the comments below if you’ve ever been to the glass factory.
Last Updated on 3 years ago by Crystal Carder