Houston

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, a new amusement park built on the site of the original 1943 Pleasure Pier, opened in May. The $60 million complex stretches 1,130 feet out into the Gulf of Mexico and includes a roller coaster, 15 other rides, and a Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant. The pier has several spaces available for corporate picnics and meetings, as well as after-hours events.

British-style gastropub West End opened near the Galleria in July, offering 50 tap beers, cocktails,and snacks in a former car wash space. The 8,300-square-foot venue includes a 5,000-square-foot patio, which can hold as many as 400 for events.

In late 2012, the Fourth Ward space formerly home to Zimm’s Little Deck was to reopen as Brooklyn Athletic Club, a bar, restaurant, and casual sports center. The patio will offer bocce, badminton, horseshoes, croquet, and movies. It will be available for private events and teambuilding retreats.

Philippe Restaurant added Phil’s Wine Lounge, a vino-centric venue, in August. Serving 80 wines by the glass in a warm room with a custom-built, wall-length wine display, red light fixtures, and columns bedecked in vintage wine labels, the lounge can accommodate groups of as many as 100. Pizzas and charcuterie are available.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science’s 115,000-square-foot Hall of Paleontology expansion opened in June. The two-story hall showcases 30 dinosaur skeletons—including a 42-foot-long T. rex—along with interactive exhibits. The hall can seat 360 for a dinner and holds 650 for a reception.

Designed by architect Yoshio Taniguchi, who handled the 2004 MoMA expansion, the Asia Society Texas Center’s $48.4 million new facility opened in April. Available event spaces include the 273-seat Brown Foundation Performing Arts Theater, the 3,000-square-foot Festival Lawn, and a 1,628-square-foot terrace overlooking the lush Elkins Foundation Water Garden.

The latest tenant in the Citycentre building—which already includes Hotel Sorella and its dedicated meeting and events center—is a branch of Texas A&M’s Mays School of Business, which opened in September. The facility has 24,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including four classrooms and an auditorium.

The Houston Dynamo soccer team’s new 22,000-seat home, BBVA Compass Stadium, opened in May. Set in downtown’s East End neighborhood, the stadium is available for concerts, festivals, and other events. It includes a 5,000-square-foot stage, 25- by 40-foot LED video board, and 35 suites.