We took the opportunity to visit the Pilchuck Glass School during their summer open house. The grounds, the location, and the school are an unique part of Washington's Creative Arts history. What a treasure. The day was well-organized with events, demonstrations, music, and more. We thoroughly enjoyed the movie that featured the early days of the school and current reflections. There were many volunteers on-hand to direct or guide visitors. We would not hesitate to recommend a visit to the Pilchuck Glass School on the two days a year it is open to visitors.

Tours are by prior arrangement ONLY. We just attended one of the 2 annual open house tours given per year at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA. It's in a remote and beautiful secluded location 60 minutes north of Seattle. If you love glass art or are fascinated by the creative process, this is well worth the effort! Things to know: -There is quite a bit of walking, some stair-climbing and some moderate hill climbing on gravel paths. Dress for inclement weather. The environment is rustic. -Food service is not available unless you have signed up/paid for a tour with brunch or lunch included. You could probably pack a picnic lunch for after the tour concludes... -There's a small gallery with some lovely glass art pieces for sale and a separate store which has some interesting tee shirts and glass art books, if you are so inclined. -You'll have a chance to see artists in residence working on projects; they may or may not choose to be interrupted to talk to a tour group. Most of the artists we saw were happy to speak with us. -A visit to the Hot Shop is a wonderful introduction to discovering how art glass is made by teams of artists and gives more insight into the studio glass movement which was born at Pilchuck in the early 70's.