Really great dance classes - very friendly to beginners and very easy to follow. Took salsa and…read morebachata classes here and would highly recommend going here. Sign up for classes ahead of time and be sure to account for traffic so that you make it in time for class and if there is a line at the check in.

Doesn't look like much when you drive past - okay, I'm using the canned Yelp message there - and,…read moreif you arrive at night, it's likely that you'll drive right past it. The Palladium is located on a one-way freeway frontage road, so you can't make a U-turn to get there if you pass it up. But it's not one to avoid. The Palladium is not a franchise of a nationwide company named after Arthur Murray or Fred Astaire. It's a local concern, and doesn't offer as much as the other two studios I listed. I've gone to their Latin events, and here's what it looks like: They have in-house instructors, and also bring in people from outside Houston. (I wrote about California's Kathy Reyes in two prior reviews, I hope she's reading this and makes the trip to Houston some time!) They have classes, and they have dance parties. Both are run well, charging market rates. Lots of parking. One medium-sized dance floor, two smaller studios. The bar sells drinks, both alky and non-alky. Restrooms are deep in the bowels of the building, down the hall to the left. The people who come are a good company, and are fixinta learn to dance better and to have fun. The social dance community of Houston is smaller than in other cities, so there's much overlap from one instructor to another, and it's likely that you'll meet someone there who you danced with somewhere else. I haven't met any snobs yet, but you can't assume that they won't be there. I first went to the Palladium for New Years Eve. I've been several times since then. The experience was similar to others I've been to in other cities. I've had a good time, and never drove home thinking "well, that was a waste of a hundred mile drive one-way." Beaumont simply has nothing like The Palladium, likely because few people in the Coonie Triangle are interested in ballroom or Latin dancing. I encourage you to find a class or party and stop on by.

The Decoy--this place is truly one of a kind!…read more Tucked away in Spring Branch, it's such a fun and unique venue with two volleyball courts, which makes it perfect for hanging out with friends or getting a little competitive. They're currently running crawfish, but definitely call ahead to confirm the days so you don't miss out. And I have to say--Morgan is amazing. So friendly, helpful, and just makes the whole experience even better. You can tell they really care about the vibe and the people who come in. If you're looking for somewhere different, laid-back, and full of good energy, The Decoy is absolutely worth checking out

For a Saturday night, this place was packed; however, the service unfortunately lacked. It was easy…read moreto order drinks through their virtual online tab, where you can place both food and drink orders. However, the servers hardly seemed to know which table the orders were for, which is something that needs to be improved when assigning tables within their online mobile system. This is a nice little bar to enjoy some outdoor fun with friends, and the food such as the chicken tenders were great. Overall, I wish the service had been better, along with the turnaround time for drinks. Service 2/10 Food 7/10 Drinks 6/10

My son and daughter surprised my wife and I with a 50th wedding anniversary party here. Sonia and…read moreher staff did an outstanding job. Our family and guests were very complimentary of the entire evening. Sonia, thank you and your staff for a job well done. I highly recommend this venue.

This was by far the most beautiful venue. The owner goes above and beyond to make your vision if…read moreyour day come to life! We had my daughter's Quinceanera here and it was magical. The decorations, the food and cake were out of this world. If you are looking for a venue for a special day I HIGHLY recommend booking this place!

When looking for an affordable venue place, what ultimately made me decide on a different venue was…read morethe overall maintenance of the building. Perhaps it was the dark lights, the fact there were strangely placed mirrors in the entry way, or the huge crack in the stair entryway, but all of those little things and the overall darkness and colors of the wall, gave the building an apperance of a not so well maintained appearance, especially in comparison to the other Sterling locations. I found the woman who was there to be pleasant and I did like the space available as there were clear places for a cake, buffett, nice sized bar, but it didn't meet my needs. (Though the 500 discount is a nice touch.) Another concern of my future inlaws was the location. I grew up in that neighborhood, so I wasn't scared. They weren't either once I pointed out I use to eat at the Lucky Chinese buffett all the time across the street and get food from the McDonalds, but they were concerned how guests would react who are simply not familiar with the area and easily scared off. My guests are not so easily scared, but my fiancee's family would be coming from Australia, Canada, etc. so they may be weary of the location, which was another unfortunate negative. My suggestion? Remove the mirrors from the entryway, fix the cracked/missing portion of the stairs, and see about adding more lighting or possibly repainting the hall. It was difficult to point out what about it made it eh, but when you see how pretty the other Sterling Halls are, you really do wonder why this one was so poorly maintained.

What a beautiful place to hv an event , all that is given in that price makes it more beautiful…read more. go for it peopl

This is a beautiful venue perfect for small outdoor weddings! I attended a wedding here last night…read moreand it was a beautiful event! However as a guest, there are a couple things I want to point out... First, the ceremony setup. The bride and groom were positioned a couple steps DOWN from the majority of the rows of chairs, meaning if you were in row 4 or beyond, you couldn't see anything. I was in the second to last row and could hardly see anything. My friends in the row behind me (the last row) couldn't see anything. It was just an awkward setup for the guests. The biggest downfall of this place was their lack of restrooms. They have TWO for the entire venue... while I, myself, don't drink alcohol anymore, I'm fully aware of how it creates a constant need for use of the restroom. Many of the guests were enjoying their beers and glasses of wine, so this created long lines at the restrooms. Lastly, the gravel in the front half of the venue was a nightmare for all of us ladies in heels. My strapping stilettos were constantly getting small pebbles up under my toes and it was super uncomfortable. The dance floor and seated area for dinner, however, had turf, which was MUCH more pleasant to walk on. I wish they had this all over the venue grounds instead. Overall, the setup was nice as they had one area for the ceremony, another for cocktail hour, another for dinner/dancing and a small indoor area where the Photo Booth was set up. Additionally, the bridal suite (which I didn't actually see for myself) was upstairs, which gave the bride a birds eye view of the guests as they arrived. Pretty cool! I think a few small adjustments would make this place a five star experience for everyone involved!

I've been here for two occasions, once for a wedding and the second for a baby shower. It's really…read morenice to have a valet option as parking in the Heights area can be a nightmare. Be sure to be careful walking in as the floor is made of loose gravel. Although the venue is beautiful, the summer heat can be brutal. There is not much room for everyone to come into the air conditioned room. Overall, beautiful venue and would recommend it during the cooler months!

Bingo in the Heights at SPJST Lodge 88 is such a fun experience. It's incredibly organized and well…read morerun, and the staff keep everything moving and are friendly and efficient. Bingo is $15 and cash only, and you're free to bring your own food and drinks as long as they're not items the lodge sells. The crowd is younger and much livelier than the stereotypical bingo scene. Doors open at 5:30, and getting there early really matters if you want a good seat because it fills up fast. You can even reserve tables for birthdays or group events. They also sell mini cakes, popcorn, and daubers.

Not your average Granny's bingo, that's for sure! I planned a social outing for my team/coworkers…read morehere, and we had the best time! I highly recommend gathering your group for a Thursday Bingo Night here, so much fun!!! They have an efficient system in place, and it is $15 (cash only) for a packet of bingo cards for a chance to win the big bucks for each round. I recommend getting there early when doors open at 5:30 PM, to save your table(s), especially if you have a large group, since it fills up quickly (including parking lot) because it's the place to be on a Thursday night. Their kitchen is currently closed, so you're allowed to bring your own food, which is fine. They do have concessions and a mini bar with sodas, water, beer, and seltzers too. My team already wants to go back, so we've started a bingo night tradition because of SPJST!

It is a very nice venue! We were there for the Regis Gala. The staff was excellent, always…read moreattentive to our needs. We were at table 36. The salmon sauce was to die for- I need the recipe! It was a very special night at this venue, Thank you!

A handsome event space for those nights you are going big rather than going home to where the bags…read moreof Doritos and the xbox live. I was an invited guest at an impossibly posh private event here and I was very impressed with the space inside with multiple rooms of upscale decor touches as well as the polite valets that were handling a large crowd efficiently and pleasantly out of doors. I don't know anything about this part of town. The trip down here had mild "first few moments of an episode of Criminal Minds" vibes as the uber driver was taking deserted, dark back alleys through heavily industrial and/or abandoned industrial areas. I was not sure if I was going to find myself carved into pieces and safely stowed in his freezer in what I imagined what would not be a very nice apartment at all or what. But then the abandoned warehouse rows finally parted and then you could see the super upscale looking joint kind of sticking out off in the distance with the bright glam lights and the valet boys hustling about the lot. I don't like large crowds, but if I had to be a part of a large crowd again I would do so in the handsome event space within. It is part industrial Brooklyn nightclub vibes with the wide open spaces and reverberatory noise, but part family bat mitzvah vibes that you could bring everyone and really make it family style for the whole evening. Perfect space for wearing that fancy hat in your life out of the house where you mingle with fancy people where you don't know half of them half as well as you should like; and like less than half of them half as well as they deserve.

I attended a fraternal alumni dinner at The Wynden. I drove in from San Antonio for the event. This…read moreplace is super easy to get to, and pretty near the highway. The venue is beautiful and was perfect for about the 175-200 that were in there. They had round tables set up for 10 at each table. Fortunately for me, I sat closest to the door - which is nearby where the buffet was set up in a side room. Unfortunately for me, this is also by the kitchen is located, so when the caterers were cleaning up, I was a little distracted from my guest speakers by the clanking of dishes and cleanup in the back. If you were looking to book for a wedding, where music would be playing, I don't think the cleanup would impact your event. The microphone system (which I don't know if it was provided by the venue or by my organization) was a little low volume for what we needed. But overall, visually, this place is a great venue for weddings, guest speakers, etc.

I have never seen management yell at staff in front of guests at a wedding until tonight at the…read moreWynden. Wtf.

On my recent Art Gallery Crawl I decided to stop by here and snag up a FTR before I started my day…read more (That and the fact that the galleries didn't open until 10:30 am and the gardens open at 9:30 am.) This garden is a small garden that has very limited hours but is quite nice. The best way to describe it is a TINY bayou bend. It still has some nice fountains and flowers for photo taking. They were setting up a tent for a wedding ceremony so apparently this can be used a wedding venue also. Their public hours are M, W, and Th from 9:30 am - 3:30 pm.

The River Oaks Garden Club hosts the Azalea Trail every year. It is truly a spectacular experience…read morerich with the history of the neighborhood and information on growing and maintaining plants native to Southeast Texas. The volunteers are so kind and welcoming. The venue itself is gorgeous and has so much potential for weddings, engagement parties, and other events. Take a look at my pictures and see for yourself!