Founded in 2002, the Museum of Glass is a great tourist attraction for visitors looking to see a modern side of Tacoma. The museum showcases a wide variety of glass artworks, particularly those of the Contemporary and Pacific Northwest movements.Within the museum, you can see installations by Cappy Thompson (Gathering the Light, which tells the story of glass blowing through the ages) and Martin Blank (Fluent Steps, a glass representation of the properties of water). Howard Ben Tre’s Water Forest, an interactive exhibit inspired by the tides, is located on the Main Plaza. In addition, a number of exhibits travel through the museum. You’ll have to visit the website (www.museumofglass.org) to find out what’s on site at the time of your visit. The exhibits are so entrancing that wireless internet users may find themselves outside the museum doors before they know it.The choice to situate the museum in Tacoma was not random. Famed glass sculptor Dale Chihuly was born in the city in 1941 and attended college at the University of Washington in Seattle. He made several notable contributions to the museum, including the 500-foot Bridge of Glass (co-designed with architect Arthur Andersson) which links the museum to the downtown area. Chihuly described the Bridge as “something unique in the world, something that has a lot of color, a joyous experience, night or day.” The bridge rises 70 feet off the ground and a portion of it is covered by a glass walkway, making for a wonderful photo opportunity.