Roomy Cabins and Outdoor Recreation on Bluff Overlooking Lake Whitney

Lake Whitney was created to ease drought conditions in the early 1950s, but the reservoir quickly evolved into a popular vacation spot and was even the site of the very first bass-fishing tournament. Perched directly above Lake Whitney on a limestone bluff, Redwood Lodge was one of the lake's earliest retreats and is said to have once hosted movie cowboy Roy Rogers. The resort has expanded to more than 20 log cabins, but still maintains a rustic charm.

Most of the two- and three-bed cabins have cozy decor-from quilted bedding to knotted-wood walls-and many of boast views of Lake Whitney. But for all their rustic charm, the cabins still offer modern amenities such as free WiFi and cable TV.

You can exchange your resort credit for a paddleboat or sailboat rental and head out on the lake to shoot scenes for the Waterworld sequel. Back at the lodge, there's a fleet of rental mountain bikes tuned up and ready for the trail. Whether your day is full of activity or delightfully lazy, there are few better ways to top it off than with a dip in the hot tub and a session around the fire pit. At the Tiki Light Bar, weekly events include late-night dancing and open-mike nights, and the restaurant (open Thursday-Sunday) serves basics such as hamburgers ($4.99) and pizzas ($12-$15).

Whitney, Texas: Lakeside Town with Old-Fashioned Charm

The small city of Whitney, about 85 miles south of Dallas, is often referred to as "The Getaway Capital of Texas." But long before vacationers flocked to the area, Bonnie and Clyde were said to have frequented the town. Bank robberies are a thing of the past, but thankfully, Whitney has retained its old-school, small-town feel. In the quaint downtown area, you'll find several antique stores and an old-fashioned ice-cream shop.

Many of Whitney's visitors come for the massive lake, crisscrossed on the weekends by sailboats, bass boats, and jet skis. Lake Whitney is known for its bass fishing and also has plenty of flat, open water for skiing a handful of sandy beaches. There are about a dozen public parks around the lake, including Lake Whitney State Park, which boasts hiking trails, picnic areas, and a population of nearly 200 bird species.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.

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French Quarter-Inspired Inn with Onsite Restaurant

Though it's in the heart of Texas Hill Country, Crescent Quarters channels New Orleans, the Crescent City, in both name and design. The hotel exudes French Quarter charm, from its wrought-iron balconies to the hanging planters and gas lanterns. N'awlins also inspired some of the guest rooms, including one decorated with the famous Blue Dog paintings of Cajun artist George Rodrigue and another furnished in festive Mardi Gras purples and golds.

The rest of the rooms and suites carry out much different motifs. The Far East room features Buddhist images against bamboo-covered walls, and the French room channels continental elegance with a fireplace, French boudoir, and life-size cardboard cutout of Napoleon Bonaparte. Some rooms come with other chic touches such as granite vanities and polished hardwood floors, and the two suites come furnished with hot tubs.

Complimentary breakfast is served every morning in the common room. For lunch and dinner, head to the in-house restaurant, Cypress Grille and Wine Bar, run by chefs who trained at the Culinary Institute of America and Le Cordon Bleu. The casual eatery serves comfort-food favorites with creative twists, such as dried-fruit ravioli and smoked barbecue pork sandwiches with grilled pineapple. As a bonus, Cypress Grille and Wine Bar will give Groupon customers a complimentary dessert with the purchase of an entree.

Boerne, Texas: Historic German Town in Texas Hill Country

A popular summer escape for Austinites and San Antonians, the Hill Country of west-central Texas usually enjoys cooler temperatures than surrounding areas thanks to its higher elevation. Among the region's towns, Boerne stands out for its unique history as an early 19th-century German settlement. Some vestiges of the old days are still around, including the bilingual, German-style street signs. Crescent Quarters overlooks Boerne's Main Street-or Hauptstrasse-which features a smattering of shops and restaurants that cater to the influx of out-of-towners that use the town as a convenient home base for exploring the Hill Country.

Boerne is also home to a few limestone caves that have been paved through with walkways and lights for public tours. Cascade Caverns, 4 miles from the inn, features a half-mile stretch of stalactite and stalagmite formations and plunging caves inhabited by a rare and endangered salamander. Tours of the caverns lead through narrow passageways and end with a view of a 100-foot waterfall cascading into a pitch-black pool.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.

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Communal dining is easy when the food is already divided, like a presliced pizza or a turkey that has already been through a protracted custody battle. Split and share with this Groupon.

$7 for $15 Worth of Pizzeria Fare

Adults can dip into CiCi's pizza and pasta buffet for $5.49, and kids can have at it for $3.49. The menu also includes a large one-topping pizza ($5.99) and soft drinks for adults ($1.68) or kids ($0.99).

CiCi's Pizza

A long buffet stretches from the registers to the wall at CiCi's, filled with pasta, sauce, cheesy garlic bread, and a rotating roster of 20 styles of pizza. The buffets hold up to 12 styles of popular pizzas depending on the hour, such as pepperoni, ham and cheddar, or the three-cheese Meltdown. Fresh-made marinara cascades over tangles of pasta, and crisp lettuce unites with veggies to form a salad. Cinnamon rolls baked fresh daily-in the morning and at night-elate palates with gooey icing and dough so soft that eating it is reminiscent of biting into a spiced cumulus cloud. Bright yellow and green hues dominate the interior, and glamour shots of dining patrons and popular dishes pepper the walls.

When Rob Lesieur took over CiCi's locations in Amarillo and Lubbock in November of 2011, he took measures to rejuvenate his new stores. These initiatives included expanding the buffet, keeping each location open later, and doing away with fees for paying with a credit card or a brain-implanted bank-chip payment. With years of experience managing Subway and Burger King restaurants, as well as the CiCi's locations he currently owns in Tucson and Phoenix, Lesieur relishes the flexibility that comes from being his own boss. He shares this freedom with his clientele by moving swiftly to suit their culinary desires and keep his stores in shipshape working order.

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Spacious Southwestern Suites in the Heart of Santa Fe

When you walk down the streets of downtown Santa Fe, it can feel more like a rustic Old West town than the thriving capital city of New Mexico. Some big businesses and skyscrapers have sprouted up throughout Santa Fe, to be sure, but right among them in the heart of downtown, you'll see historical mission churches and adobe pueblos. It's all set against the ruddy backdrop of the Sangre Cristo Mountains. Villas de Santa Fe are situated right in the foothills of these mountains‚ about 16 miles northeast of downtown. Warm, southwestern-style decor and well-appointed rooms make the property a comfy home base after you explore colorful downtown Santa Fe, which is rich in Native American and Mexican history.

Inside the pueblo-like villas, modern amenities complement the rustic and colorful decorative scheme. There's Santa Fe-style art hanging on the walls in one of the standard one-bedroom suites, and you can find colorful woven fabrics on the couch in the separate living area. Each of these suites features a partial kitchen, where there's a full-size refrigerator, a stovetop, and honey-colored wood cabinetry. It makes the place feel more like a comfy apartment than a hotel room.

After waking up to the bright sun of a Santa Fe morning, you can feel free to unwind in the outdoor hot tub or practice chasing after mail carriers on the treadmills in the onsite fitness center. The hotel also has a complimentary shuttle that can zip you around the property; that allows guests to save their energy for scenic walks through nearby downtown area.

Santa Fe, New Mexico: Old West Architecture and Fiery Southwestern Cuisine

Just a short walk from the Villas de Santa Fe, you'll find the perpetually sun-soaked downtown area. It's a historical center with a vibrant mosaic of cultural influences made up of fragments from the Native American, Latino, and western traditions. The 400-year-old site of the St. Francis Cathedral Basilica dons stained-glass windows, which cast rainbow colors onto the stone floor. Handmade leather treasures line the shelves at a custom-cowboy-boot store in the city.

Fiery chili is a standby garnish for chefs in Santa Fe; on a food tour of Santa Fe, you can sample zesty southwestern fare from popular local vendors. At day's end, the tour stops at the rooftop of a beloved downtown restaurant, where guests may sip a glass of wine, admire the brilliant sunset, and drop water balloons onto evil school principals.

New Mexico's varied terrain and seemingly nonstop sunshine make the area a great place for hiking and biking. It's worth it to visit the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which have peaks that stand at about 12,000 feet high; they're just a short trip from Villas de Santa Fe.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.

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Like rock music, beauty care is an art form requiring intense study, regular practice, and the ability to string a guitar with hair clippings at a moment's notice. Groove to a new look with this Groupon.

$25 for $50 Worth of Student Salon Treatments

Aspiring hairstylists and estheticians perform a variety of services, including acne-clearing treatments ($30), manicures with Axxium gel polish ($20), and haircuts ($7), under the watchful eyes of their instructors. View the full menu of services.

All services are performed by students under the supervision of instructors.

Milan Institute of Cosmetology

At Milan Institute of Cosmetology's network of campuses, veteran instructors mold aspiring cosmetologists into the styling superstars of tomorrow, overseeing students as they administer an array of salon and spa treatments. The institute allows clients to bask in inexpensive beauty services so proteges may hone their skills, and each of their locations sports a specialized menu that emphasizes different areas of body beautification. Though the Institute's student salons, spas, and hall-pass systems evoke a classroom feel, their treatments are far from elementary.

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The theory of relativity tells us that time stops at the speed of light, which explains why light is so effective at combating the effects of aging and capturing runaway time machines. Ride the wave-particle to smoother shores with this Groupon.

Choose Between Two Options

$99 for two skin-tightening treatments, valid for one of the following areas: the upper, middle, or lower area of the face (a $529 value)

$99 for two Fotofacial treatments, valid for one of the following areas: the face, neck, chest, shoulders, upper back, upper arms, forearms, or hands (up to a $767 value)

Fotofacial and skin-tightening treatments both last about 30 minutes, during which a technician uses a laser on the treatment area. During Fotofacials, the machine employs a combination of laser light and radio frequency to fade blemishes, broken capillaries, and sun spots without harming the surrounding tissue in a process called selective photothermolysis. During skin-tightening treatments, a combination of laser light and radio frequency permeates the skin's surface to stimulate collagen, which can eventually tighten sagging skin and fill in wrinkles.

American Laser Med Spa

Dr. Neel Kanase performs and oversees aesthetic treatments at American Laser Med Spa, where both male and female clients come for dermal fillers, laser hair removal, and blemish-reduction services. Dr. Kanase has accrued many honors during his illustrious career, including the status of chief resident at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. After his residency, the doctor honed his medical knowledge at Dallam Hartley Counties Hospital District, where he garnered acclaim as an anatomically correct version of the game Operation. These days, the doctor helps clients boost natural beauty and diminish undesirable conditions including cellulite, fine lines, and blemishes. The med spa's stable of advanced treatment techniques includes laser treatments, injections, VelaShape, Botox, and Fotofacials. The company's website links to slideshows that explicate therapies such as Juvederm and skin tightening, with ample text and diagrams of rejuvenating biological processes.

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