Learn Glass Blowing Art at Texas Glass Blowing Studios!

You may have seen glass blowing demonstrations at Wimberley Glassworks in Wimberley, Texas, and thought it would be fun to learn the art! It would be fun and it would be great to be able to make your own Christmas ornaments, lamp shades, bowls, and decorative art. Several studios in Texas offer classes and workshops. Sand-N-Fire Studio Glass in New Caney offers glass bead and marble making classes for those of all skill levels, and offers fusion classes throughout the year. The Beeville campus of Coastal Bend College offers summer classes in the art of glass blowing.

Wimberley Glass Works

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Vetro Glass Blowing Studio in Grapevine offers a large variety of classes and workshops, and offers tours of the facility. In Fort Worth, the non-profit SiNaCa Studios Glass Art & Gallery offers glass art lessons for those of all skill levels, from beginners to professionals. It also teaches glass arts in youth programs, and offers community gallery shows. Dallas’ Kittrell/Riffkind Art Glass Studios operates a full service art glass studio, and hosts classes and workshops in stained glass techniques, fusing, and beadmaking.

In Central Texas you can learn the art in San Antonio and Austin. In San Antonio, Caliente Hot Glass Studio offers individual and group lessons. In Austin you can learn the art at East Side Glass Blowing, Helios Fused Glass Studio, and at the Glass Monkey School of Glass Blowing. Glass Monkey will prepare you for a career in glass blowing. 

Learn How to Camp at TPWD Outdoor Family Camping Workshops!

Texas Parks & Wildlife Outdoor Family Camping Workshops are family camping sessions designed to teach camping skills to those who do not know how to camp. Everything is provided from tent to broom. Gear includes a coffee pot, dishes, cooking pots, a camp stove, a battery operated fan and lantern, air mattresses, and a tent. Basic skills taught include pitching a tent, making a campfire, cooking on a propane camp stove, and Dutch oven cooking. Wildlife viewing, fishing, geocaching, kayaking, and many other outdoor activities are offered depending on the park and its facilities. After making reservations, families will be sent a packet of information which includes a list of groceries the family must bring. Those interested in this program may sign up for E-Mail Updates on currently scheduled workshops. Brazos Bend State Park (Gulf Coast) and Cedar Hill State Park (Dallas Area) are hosting Outdoor Family Camping Workshops the weekend of March 12, 2016. Other scheduled workshops include Estero Llano Grande State Park (Weslaco, 9 April), Franklin Mountains State Park (El Paso, 16 April), and Brazos Bend SP (23 April). Garner State Park’s workshop on the weekend of 1 April has a waiting list - always make reservations early at this popular state park! Workshops will continue through spring, summer and fall.

Supplies are Provided - You Bring Food

The Dutch Oven was designated the official State Cooking Implement by the Texas State Legislature for a reason - there is nothing more wonderful than an early morning spent outdoors enjoying the smell of bacon, biscuits, and hash browns (with onion) frying/baking in a Dutch Oven! Add cool or cold weather, and the scene is perfect! You may also cook cobblers, cornbread, stews, and other foods in the oven. Many of the Texas State Parks, Texas State Historical Parks (Fort Smith and others), and private historical parks, such as the George Ranch Historical Park in Richmond, Texas, offer Dutch Oven cooking demonstrations on weekends. Local chapters of the Lone Star Dutch Oven Society host cooking demonstrations, and offer information, cooking classes, a cookbook, teachers for novices, and organized family cook-outs. You may also cook with Dutch ovens in your own kitchen, and many of you may be able to cook in your backyards. Besides being a fun hobby, Dutch oven skills may be useful when your electricity is out.