"Place" or "venue"?

Do place and venue have the same meaning? If not, what are the differences and when do we use which?

Solution 1:

A venue is a special kind of place:

venue |ˈvenˌyoō| noun the place where something happens, esp. an organized event such as a concert, conference, or sports event : the river could soon be the venue for a powerboat world championship event. [NOAD]

Thus all venues are places, but not all places are venues. Your house, for example, is a place. The stadium in your city is a venue. Your house could be a venue, however, if you were to host some kind of gathering there.