All photos courtesy Ivan Piedra Photography/AGNYC Productions, Inc.
Catersource + The Special Event is all about event pros, and that means it’s also all about seeing event spaces and getting event ideas. That’s why every year, the first activity of the week is a venue tour, which lets a limited number of attendees board buses and visit some of the destination’s coolest event spaces.
This year, the focus was on combined food and event spaces. Not only were they great venues with excellent food and beverages; they were a great way to see and taste the local Texas flavor.
In case you missed it this year, here’s a look back at the venue tour experience!
Desert Door Distillery
This earthy, Western-vibe distillery certainly lived up to its name—and is the only distillery of its kind in the United States. Located in the Hill Country of Driftwood, 30 minutes outside of Austin, the distillery focuses on sotol, a spirit/plant similar to agave, which the company wild harvests from local ranches. The distillery has two main event spaces under the umbrella of The Rackhouse at Desert Door: a covered patio and the tasting room. The main room holds up to 75 people or can be arranged in a more intimate way due to the flexible nature of the room’s layout. The in-house event team provides full event staff and services as well as a list of preferred vendors.
Vista Brewing
For the next stop, attendees headed a few minutes away to Vista Brewing, an event space operating out of a farm and brewery. Beside raising bees and growing organic food, the farm provides event services with farm-to-table catering, offered across a variety of spaces: The Barrel Room (a semi-private indoor/outdoor space just off the main Tasting Room featuring farmhouse tables, a TV, a vaulted ceiling and two attached decks); The Stone Grove (a shaded outdoor area bordered by Vista’s 1890’s stacked stone wall featuring a vintage trailer private bar, hammock swings and farmhouse tables under the twinkling lights in a shady live oak); and The Beer Garden Bar (a shady, casual spot for larger groups featuring its own private bar and front row seats to Vista’s stage). They also offer property buyouts of the Main Tasting Room.
Banger's Sausage House & Beer Garden
After visiting Texas Hill Country, the group made its way to historic Rainey Street district. This space had much to offer, including multiple kitchens and venues: a restaurant with live music, a smokehouse, an open courtyard, a balcony, a beer garden with 200 taps (the largest in Texas), and a speakeasy-style open basement space with endless versatility for events. In fact, Banger’s calls themselves an “eventstaurant”—that’s how much events sustain their business. Banger’s can host up to 1200 people and uses their same restaurant menu for events. With good music, great food, and plenty of space, the venue is a Texas favorite!
The Stay Put Brewery
A few doors down from Banger’s is The Stay Put, a cozy brewery in an old bungalow that is common for Rainey Street venues. The brewery has a staple food truck, Flames Jamaican Grill, as well as an in-house planner, and can host up to 200 people between the back bar and outdoor patio spaces. During the tour, The Stay Put Brewery was described as a “love letter to west Texas,” and it was easy to feel that love in the intimate, lively space.
Stay tuned for more Catersource + The Special Event 2024 recap content! Click here to view a brief summary of the amazing week.
