I know, I know… you’re reading this and wondering why in the world would someone include glass blowing or a ceramics studio as a tot spot?! I’ll admit, even though they do offer classes and tours for elementary aged kids, Starworks is more of an adult outing. But it’s such a cool place and I had never heard of it before, so it deserves some recognition! It’s less than 2 hours away from Raleigh (1 hour 15 minutes from Holly Springs), so it’s definitely doable for a short day trip, moms night out, or even a date night!

What is Starworks?

Starworks is a glass, ceramics, and clay studio located inside an old warehouse building in Star, NC. They bring in artists from all over the world to perform art demonstrations and hold workshops, and they have local staff that creates beautiful art pieces that they display in the gallery and sell in the store onsite. They also have a taproom and cafe onsite that has live music frequently in the evenings and serves coffee and sandwiches.

Make Your Own Workshop Series

After watching the “Blown Away” glass blowing competition series on Netflix, I was dying to get my hands on some hot, molten glass! I searched high and low to find a studio in Raleigh where I could take a one-time class, but came up with nothing. The closest glass blowing studio I could find was Starworks, but it was definitely worth the drive!

A friend and I signed up for a “Make your own glass ornament” class online. The class ran all Saturday morning, but our time slot only took about an hour. Our class started with a group demonstration of what we were making, with some tips and safety rules before beginning.

One-On-One with an Instructor

After the group demonstration, each participant was able to work with an instructor one-on-one to complete their ornament. The instructor gathered the glass for us onto the blowpipe and had us pick which colors we wanted to use. He rolled it in the colored glass and had us help rotate it in the furnace to achieve a swirled pattern.

The instructor then shaped the ornament while we blew it to the correct size. I was shocked at how lightly I needed to blow to have the glass inflate! I always assumed it took a lot of pressure, but it didn’t take much air at all! Side Note: Different mouthpieces were used for each particpant. Germaphobes don’t worry! Each mouthpiece was sanitized between uses.

After the ornament was fully shaped, we brought it over and had to tap it to remove it from the blowpipe. The instructor carefully crafted a hook from molten glass so we would be able to hang it later, and then placed our ornament in the annealer to allow it to cool.

Keep in mind that you are NOT able to bring your glass creation home immediately since it must cool in a controlled environment for 48 hours. However, Starworks will ship your item directly to your home for about $10, depending on where you live. I opted for shipping since I knew I wouldn’t be able to come back to the studio in a few days to get it myself.

Lots of Workshops to choose from!

Overall the class was a great way to get your feet wet with glass blowing. I wish I could have done more during the process, but you have to be fast with molten glass so the instructor had to do it quickly. I also think that shaping the ornament took a certain level of skill that can’t be taught in a couple seconds to a newbie.

Another class participant told me that they were able to do a little bit more when they took the glass flower making class, so it sounds like you may be a little more hands-on in other workshops. They offer classes to make glass pumpkins, flowers, paperweights, and valentine hearts. I’ll definitely be trying another one next year!

Grab Lunch in the Cafe

After our class was over, we browsed the art gallery and Starworks store. We also took a trip downstairs to the clay and ceramics studio, but no classes or demonstrations were occurring at the time.

Since it was lunchtime we stopped in the cafe to grab some coffee and sandwiches before heading back to Raleigh. It was a great girls trip and we were only gone from about 9am-2pm. It was short enough that our husbands were able to survive watching the kids for us while we went!

Starworks Offerings

Adult Events

In addition to one-time classes, Starworks also offer kid’s tours and field trips and fun adult social events in the evenings. A popular one appears to be hot glass, cold beer on the second Thursday of the month. Purchase a hand blown drinking glass and get a complimentary beverage, watch a glass blowing art demonstration, and then return to the cafe for live music and dinner at a food truck! It sounds like a perfect date night or moms night out!

Kids Field trips

The field trips also look like they would be great for a home school group! Kids can participate in a tour, art demonstration, or workshop to create their own ceramic piece!

Other Events and Festivals

Starworks also offers wood burning classes, trivia night, open mic night, and yoga classes! There’s so much you can do here! GlassFest and FireFest also occur in the spring and look like they are the perfect event to get a taste of it all!

Looking for something closer to home?

Browse our list here for more classes and tours for the family that are a bit closer to Raleigh!