Lincoln City has established itself as Oregon’s capital of glass art, owing to its year-round Finders Keepers program, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. It gives eagle-eyed visitors the chance to find — and take home — their own piece of Oregon-made glass art at no cost. The city is also home to numerous glass studios and galleries where you can watch artisans in action, buy a glass treasure or get hands-on glassblowing experience. Here’s what you need to know about experiencing this colorful art form in Lincoln City.
Finding Glass Floats on the Seashore
Many Lincoln City visitors get their first taste of the city’s fantastic glass-art scene through Finders Keepers’ float hunts. Here’s how it works: Volunteer “float fairies” hide thousands of glass floats — inspired by Japanese fishing ball floats — in spots along the 7-mile stretch of beach between the Roads End neighborhood and Siletz Bay.
As the name suggests, if you find a float, you get to take it home. Each float has a registration number on its base; when you find yours, register it online or in person at the Explore Lincoln City Welcome Center. You’ll receive a certificate of authenticity and a bio of the artist who crafted your treasure. While you’re on the beach, collect a bag of trash and share a photo on the program’s website for the chance to win a prize.
All float-fairy activity takes place during daylight hours. Floats are always placed below the beach embankment and above the high-tide line in spots where they’re easy to see (and never in the grass). Floats are dropped throughout the year, rain or shine, except during king tides or when conditions are unsafe. Additional floats are distributed during themed special drop periods, which include spring break and the days around Earth Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Visitors who are physically limited from beachcombing can stop by the Welcome Center to enter a monthly drawing for a free float.
Want to know more? Stop by the North Lincoln County Historical Museum for a special exhibit on Finders Keepers (open through November 15, 2025). There you’ll see unique floats from each year since 2000, as well as glass-making tools plus videos and photographs of the entire process.
Art Glass Galleries in the Taft District
For an indoor alternative to seaside float hunting, spend time checking out some of Lincoln City’s numerous art galleries. Start at the Lincoln City Glass Center in the Historic Taft District, where you can watch live glassblowing demonstrations throughout the day. There’s also a large gift shop and gallery with a wide range of items available, from colorful goblets to solid-glass pendants. Don’t miss the paperweights made with sparkling dichroic glass that makes them look as if they contain entire galaxies. For a special souvenir, pick up a multicolored lotus made by Kelly Howard, the center’s co-owner. If you’re interested in getting behind the torch yourself, you can sign up for a glassblowing lesson and learn how to make a heart, candleholder, bowl, paperweight — or your very own fairy-worthy glass float.
Just a few minutes from the glass center, Mor Art is the place to go if you want to learn about glass fusing, a type of glass art that involves layering compatible pieces of glass together to create beautiful works of art, many of which are functional. This glass-arts school works with students of all levels to create everything from compact coasters to large backsplashes. Kid-friendly lessons are also available.
If you’d like to see a wide range of media showcased alongside beautiful glass pieces, head to Volta Gallery, across from the Lincoln City Glass Center. While you’ll see plenty of fused and blown glass in this studio, you can also expect to see paintings, ceramics, photography and even mosaic art, much of which is inspired by the natural beauty of the Oregon Coast.
More Glass-Art Experiences
A 15-minute drive southeast of the Historic Taft District, ThornMeadow Glassworks is a working studio and shop offering a wide selection of colorful glass pieces for the home, including bowls, glasses, vases, terrariums and decorative pieces. Many of ThornMeadow’s items have an oceanic theme, from handblown glass seashells to glass pieces textured with Oregon Coast sand. Sign up for a workshop to learn how to make the item of your choice — such as a float or paperweight. Like the Finders Keepers program, you can enter to win a prize if you collect a bag full of trash along the way and submit a photo.
If you’re in Lincoln City between May and October, it’s worth stopping by the Alder House, Oregon’s oldest glassblowing studio. This seasonal spot welcomes visitors who are curious about glass arts to come and watch its team of highly skilled artists create magic at the torch. Although classes aren’t offered, artists will gladly explain the process of glassblowing and answer any questions. There’s also a wide range of beautiful glass objects to take home, from colorful vases to souvenir sand dollars made entirely from glass.
