Painting With a Twist has an interesting back story. After Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, friends and Louisiana natives Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney thought their neighbors could use an activity to help them de-stress. They started holding painting classes and encouraged the budding artists to bring their own wine. Eventually it blossomed into Painting With a Twist, which now has 81 franchise locations, including one in Spring, near The Woodlands.

Bring your favorite bottle of wine or other beverage, invite some friends, and a professional artist will walk you through how to create a painting, step by step. All of the painting supplies are provided. If you don't have any painting experience or artistic leanings, that's okay, because the goal at Painting With a Twist is to simply have fun. And who knows, maybe you will be happy enough with your final result that you will want to hang it on your wall!

Painting With a Twist
570 Sawdust Road
Spring, TX 77380
(281) 465-4995
paintingwithatwist.com
Read the reviews on Yelp.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/cernaovec

If you’re looking for the perfect spot to host a birthday dinner or other special occasion in the Woodlands area, Perry’s Steakhouse and Grill makes the ideal backdrop for important events. The Woodlands location of this eclectic, upscale chain features artistic light fixtures, glamorous furnishings, and comfortably large tables to accommodate any size party. There are also a number of private dining rooms that can be reserved for large groups, including an incredibly spacious Banquet Room.

The menu consists of high quality cuts of beef, creative seafood dishes, and entree complements like sherried mushrooms, Sriracha Brussels sprouts, and rich macaroni and cheese. Paired with a glass from the impressive wine list and a gourmet dessert, a meal at Perry’s is one that you won’t soon forget.

Perry’s Steakhouse and Grill is open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The eatery offers longer hours on Fridays: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday hours are 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Perry’s Steakhouse and Grill
6700 Woodlands Parkway
The Woodlands, TX 77382
(281) 362-0569
www.perryssteakhouse.com
www.yelp.com/biz/perrys-steakhouse-and-grille-the-woodlands

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Jeremy Keith

The Eiffel Tower is the most recognizable landmark in all of Paris, but most people in other parts of the world don’t know much about this historical structure. Here are six facts you may not have known about Le Tour Eiffel.

1. The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889.
Gustav Eiffel and his company built it for that year’s World’s Fair.

2. It attracts more visitors than any other paid attraction in the world.
Over six million people visited the tower in 2012.

3. Until 1930, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world.
It was eventually surpassed by the Chrysler Building in New York City.

4. 121 men worked on the construction of the Eiffel Tower.
50 engineers produced the blueprints beforehand, and 100 iron workers also produced the 18,038 iron parts of the tower.

5. The tower is repainted every seven years.
Each time it is painted, it requires 60 metric tons of paint.

6. Over 250 million people have visited the Eiffel Tower since it was built.
There are 1,665 steps to the top of the tower. Though visitors may climb to its second floor, they may only access the third floor by elevator.

• Eiffel Tower [History]
• Eiffel Tower Fast Facts [CNN]
• Eiffel Tower in Paris [Paris Digest]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/epSos .de