Chihuly Bridge of Glass

It’s free. It’s cool. Makes for some great photo opportunities, and I’m a fan of any public art that is also useful.
The little glass babies creep me out, though.
Check it out both during the day and at night when the artwork is lit up. Don’t come to Tacoma just for this, though — it really is just a bridge with art. Include it in with other activities in the area like the Glass Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, and downtown Tacoma.

Both practical and artistic, the bridge of glass is a brilliant idea.
I went Tamoca for a fun trip with family visiting the glass museum and children’s museum. It’s our first visit of those museums and I found this bridge of glass not only beautiful, but also very convenient.
First of all, it provides easy connection between the museums cross the highway, allowing visitors to walk around instead of driving between museums. Very handy.
Second, it’s beautifully decorated with all the glass arts. The glass vase wall is huge and neat, while the glass art ceiling is simply gorgeous. Though it was cloudy at the time, I can totally imagine what a wonderful dream world it is, when at a sunny day the sunshine penetrates all the colorful glass at the ceiling, creating a magnificent reflection on the bridge. It must be quite a view.
Really love the bridge and I’m sure I will visit here again.

The Chihuly Bridge of Glass is free. It showcases three large Chihuly outdoor installations with beautiful views of Tacoma. The bridge connects the Glass Museum on Dock street to the main street activity on Pacific Avenue next to Union Station and the History Museum. If you are coming from the Glass Museum, be sure to check out the additional Chihuly installations for free in the Tacoma Union Station lobby. Also within walking distance is the Tacoma History Museum and Tacoma Art Museum.”

I really wasn’t familiar with the Tacoma, WA area and stumbled across this on a search I made during lunch. Luckily, I was familiar with Dale Chihuly’s work and couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see more of his work, especially since it was FREE!
Getting there and parking was quite easy. You have a beautiful view of the waterfront and surrounding architecture. Key elements of the bridge was the wall of glass vases and the ceiling of glass artwork. And the main attraction was really the large pillars/​columns that look like rock candy — amazing and definitely photo op worthy!
Though I didn’t get to see it (until browsing other people’s pictures), there is a water fountain in the surrounding area that has glass pieces incorporated also. Make sure to check that out!
Chihuly, you never cease to amaze me!

Fun and free. Take pictures on your way to the marina or the Museum of Glass.

It’s not extremely exciting but it’s certainly a fun stop to make to check out this FREE attraction in Tacoma. You can experience the bridge either from Pacific Ave or Dock Street. The bridge go across above the freeway from Dock st to Pacific Ave. IT’s right next to the Museum of Glass on Dock street.
We had fun checking out interesting colorful glasses on the ceiling of the bridge (closer to pacific ave) and the glass displays along the walls of the bridge. The waterfront area (in front of the museum on Dock street) has restaurants along with pave pathway for a nice stroll. There is also a cellophane to play with!

If you’re visiting Seattle and running short on time, or are trying to see it on a budget, the Chihuly Bride of Glass is completely FREE and open to the public! There are dozens of pieces to see! The collections in the glass cases are not all there is to see. Keep walking under the covered area on the bridge and look up! You will be amazed!

Gorgeous place to stop by for those who can’t afford the Chihuly exhibit in Seattle or the glass museum in Tacoma.
The bridge is gorgeous and full of Chihuly works of art. I also noticed lots of people sitting on the benches or by the reflecting pool reading and just hanging out. The reflecting pool offers nice views of the port.

Beautiful art and something you won’t see anywhere else. A must see in the Evergreen state. Rain or shine

Such a beautiful landmark in Tacoma! The glasswork is stunning. Love that it’s free!

This is an example of how a city can use art to battle crime more effectively than a police crackdown can. Downtown Tacoma used to be dirty, violent and nasty. Now, it’s kinda nice, the sort of place I’d bring a date to after dinner for a romantic walk.
Thank you Mr Chuhuly, for saving Tacoma in a fun and inventive way. You helped Tacoma resist the brutalist approach and adopt a style that brings out all its best qualities.

Great for a trip to all the happenings in the area. Beautiful wall and ceiling full of Chihuly art. The bridge crosses over a freeway, but you hardly noticed because of this wonderful distraction. If you don’t have time to visit the Museum of Glass, TAM or the Washington State History Museum, I’d recommend at least making time to enjoy the bridge.

Heard about this from the Top 10 Seattle book (even though it’s in Tacoma). We were in a let’s check out everything that’s free weekend. This bridge is a psychedelic explosion. I recommend playing The Beatles, «Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds» while checking it out. The overhead glass is appropriate titled «Sea Form». It looks like a coral reef of colorful art. The walls with the individual pieces need to be properly checked out. Take the time to look at all the pieces. We liked the blue tall works at the end of the bridge. It reminded me of rock candy I used to eat has a kid.
Tacoma is worth checking out. It may be overlooked by many people who visit the Seattle area.

Amazing! I don’t know how I missed this free, gorgeous glass exhibit for so many years. I think I went to the Glass Museum at least 4 times before I realized about the bridge.
Take a trip to Tacoma just to see this amazing bridge! It will be worth your drive!

If you’ve lived in Tacoma your whole life, or just passing through, this is a MUST go to place.
For those of you who don’t know who Chihuly is, look him up, he’s AMAZING.
My son looks up to him, and likes to follow everything Chihuly does, and makes.
Chihuly supports the youth in our community, and deserves a lot of recognition, I can’t fully express my gratitude for what he does.
Look up Hill Top Artists while you’re at it.
The creations on the bridge are magnificent, and beautiful. If you take the time to look at all of the details, you can spend hours on the bridge itself, but since you’re already in the area, be sure to check out the museum of glass while you’re there!

A place to view Chihuly artwork for free? Yes, please.
Love Chihuly and love this bridge. Great views of downtown Tacoma. Perfect place to take out-​of-​town visitors.

What a cool, amazing Tacoma feature! And it’s free! If I lived here, I’d check out this bridge all the time!
Today my family and I walked the bridge, admiring the wall of Chihuly vases on display in the wall. If it hadn’t been freezing out, with a figid wind a-​blowing, I could have spent half an hour here, admiring each piece. And the blue glass «rock candy» pillars were spectacular! And then, the piece-​de-​resistance: the seaform platform, where the bridge roof has hundreds — or perhaps, thousands! — of Chihuly pieces, lying above the glass ceiling above! Oh, how I wished it had been a sunny day. I can imagine how the sunlight would create the most fabulous colorful light display! But even though the day was overcast, we still admired all the pieces overhead.
What a wonderful city feature! Tacoma has much to be proud of.

Enchantment awaits right outside of the Museum of Glass heading over the bridge to Union Station.
You will find sea anemones, urchins, cherubs, sea creatures, colors, magic, eye candy all in a sort of Dr. Seuss whimsical lightness in glass.
I was in total awe being able to look at this incredible glass art done by someone that obviously loves the sea. I thank the artist for his ability to capture such a fragile ecosystem right there in Tacoma on a bridge that goes over the traffic.
Spectacular, amazing, and wonderous.

Now we’re talkin’! No fee, no pressure, no docent required… it’s free. As free as you are free to be you to enjoy the wild artful imagination of Dale Chihuly’s glass menagerie of color and form. If I lived nearby, I’d make it imperative that I experience the Crystal Towers, Seaform Pavillion and Venetian Wall during sunrise and sunset to witness the effects of the sun’s light on these works… before some politician decides to up their coffers by charging an entry fee. The bills must get paid.
Free art of this caliber is rare and hard to find and visitors shouldn’t pass on this unique opportunity. You don’t need reservations at the Four Seasons to see a Chihuly chandelier when you can stroll this bridge at no cost. Now you can afford a nice pub dinner and beers at The Swiss (
) just up the street where they have a small collection of Chihuly bongs (I mean «Venetians» (wink)

500
2,364
63 x 2
109
These are the most important numbers in town.
If you can only see one thing when visiting Tacoma, this would be it. Point Defiance Park is a very close second, but the Chihuly Bridge of Glass is pretty unique and in the heart of the city. It is a fine and diverse collection of local artist, Dale Chihuly’s, work.
I visited morning, noon and night while we were in town and enjoyed it equally on an overcast day and when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
500 is the length of the bridge (pedestrian overpass) that connects downtown Tacoma with the Museum of Glass.
2,364 is the number of objects in the Seaform Pavilion. A glass ceiling with pieces of art from Chihuly’s Seaform and Persian series. It is like swimming in the deep blue sea and looking up at the most colorful shells and sea life you’ve ever seen.
63×2 is the number of Polyvitro blocks in each tower that form the Crystal Towers. It is the center point of the bridge and they light up at night. It reminded Mr. K and I of the glaciers in Alaska.
109 is the number of objects, primarily large vases, from three Chihuly collections (Venetians, Ikebana, and Putti) that are in the Venetian Wall. From elegant to whimsical, it is a stunning collection of his work. The wall, which is like the most elegant bookshelf you’ve ever seen, lights up at night.
With the Hot Shop tower and marina on one side and Union Station and downtown Tacoma on the other, this was really a lovely way to see the city. And, of course, it is FREE. You really can’t beat that.
The bridge is over train tracks and the freeway, so it won’t be quiet, but I still found it to be incredibly romantic. I think a stroll across the bridge after dinner should be a part of any date night in downtown Tacoma.