Sumptuous Accommodations amid Mountain Terrain

The Resort at Squaw Creek's golf course looks out over lush prairies and mountainsides covered in pine trees. It's a gorgeous scene in sunny weather, but summer is technically off-season here. In the distance, you can see the six peaks of Squaw Valley USA, a sort of Shangri-La that served as the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. When the landscape is blanketed with snow, the mountains are dotted with skiers and snowboarders. The golf course is transformed for the season into the Nordic Center, leaving it crisscrossed with tracks left by dogsleds, cross-country skis, and snowshoes.

Whatever the season, The Resort at Squaw Creek serves as a convenient home base from which to enjoy the outdoors; it's tucked into the Sierra Nevada on Lake Tahoe's north shore. Hiking trails wind through the property, and on hand you'll find a private outdoor ice rink and an onsite fly-fishing center. Guests can also feel free to stop by the outdoor pool complex's plunge pool and 120-foot water slide and choreograph water ballets in its heated lap pool and three hot tubs.

Six Peaks Grille, one of the resort's four dining venues, serves up breakfasts of fresh fruit, lox, and a goldmine of pastries kept warm in white linens. The breakfast buffet allows you to load up on made-to-order omelets, bacon, french toast, and pancakes.

The resort's 405 rooms and suites underwent a $53 million renovation in recent years. The deluxe forest-view room has a marble shower and a grand picture window that overlooks Tahoe National Forest. In fact, the entire guest tower-where all the rooms are located-is sheathed in lustrous black glass to maximize views of the valley.

Squaw Valley USA: Hiking and Cycling Through Mountains on Lake Tahoe's North Shore

Located about a 15-minute drive from North Lake Tahoe, Squaw Creek is situated amid some of northern California's most revered scenery and varied terrain. The resort rents out bicycles by the hour, including Marin cruisers for adults, Trek mountain bikes for kids, and tagalong carts for infants and beloved pet rocks. Use these to hop on Truckee River Trail, a gently rolling, paved path that follows a crystal-clear river 7 miles to Tahoe City. There, you'll happen upon a paved trail with views of the Lake of the Sky and access to Tahoe Vista's beaches 10 miles to the north.

Lupine and buckwheat paint the mountainside, and the High Camp here is a nice jumping-off point to hike on some dry, pebbly trails. If you're unaccustomed to the high altitude, you may find yourself easily winded on even short hikes; still, the 1.5-mile jaunt uphill to Emigrant Peak is worth the trip, as you get 360-degree views of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada.

Quaint clapboard buildings housing shops and restaurants line the Village at Squaw Valley. One of these is PlumpJack Cafe, the brainchild of former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom. In a dimly lit dining room, the restaurant serves seasonal contemporary fare such as the inventive ceviche cone, a feuille de brick cone filled with tuna, avocado, and ginger and topped with chili threads ($15).

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

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Cozy Boutique Hotel in Heart of Sonoma Wine Country

West Sonoma Inn & Spa stands amid 6 acres of Russian River Valley countryside in the heart of Sonoma wine country. The stylish boutique hotel pays homage to its lush natural surroundings by incorporating design elements drawn from the landscape, from its color palette of warm earth tones to the lobby's vaulted redwood ceiling. The inn also seems to evoke the wine country's spirit through its pebbled wine garden, where burgundy-tinted oak barrels provide a makeshift wall for guests sipping reds and whites in lounge chairs. Outside, the neighboring 100-acre vineyard stretches toward the hills in the distance.

As the sun dyes the open California skies rose, retreat to courtyard suites, where you'll find one king bed with a Pacific Coast comforter, either a fully equipped kitchenette with bistro-style furniture or a sitting room with a wet bar. Take in a similar view from massage beds at the inn's onsite spa. There, five massage therapists administer organic treatments ranging from cleansing sea-plant facials to the Russian River hot-stone massages.

Sonoma County: Majestic Redwoods and Scenic Vineyards

Located about an hour north of San Francisco, Sonoma County's gentle climate and rolling landscapes invite year-round recreation. West Sonoma Inn & Spa lies within walking distance of skyscraper-high redwoods and the canoe-friendly Russian River. A 25-minute drive to the craggy Pacific coastline takes visitors to unspoiled beaches where seals and pelicans easily outnumber people, making for lopsided outcomes in cross-species beach-volleyball tournaments.

Russian River Valley's most rewarding aspect may be its rolling roads dotted with family-owned wineries. The wine pass included with this Groupon gives access to free tastings and discounts at 16 vineyards handpicked by hotel management. Many of the local vineyards specialize in handcrafted wines and employ sustainable farming practices. Sample the apple dessert wine at Graton Ridge Cellars, then head over to Hook and Ladder Vineyards to smell the cranberry and vanilla flavors of its award-winning pinot noir.

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

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Though television audiences remember Lassie for saving distressed children from wells, her handlers remember her for being a regular dog who didn't know that she was famous. Treat your pet to celebrity styling with this Groupon.

Choose Between Two Options $22 for a signature trim for toy-size, small, or medium dogs and cats (up to a $65 value) $31 for a signature trim for large or giant dogs (up to an $85 value)

Pampered Paws Pet Salon

For more than 30 years, the caring professionals at Pampered Paws Pet Salon have been sprucing up cats and dogs with baths, haircuts, and general grooming services. Staff members customize each cut according to the animal's breed, hair type, and lifestyle-whether that means de-kinking a toy poodle's curls, restoring luster to an irish setter's coat, or sculpting a hairstyle to complement a saint bernard's Sherlock Holmes's costume.

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The call of the wild is like a call from an elderly grandparent: though you can't quite make out what's being said, you feel better about yourself when you answer. Pick up nature's phone with this Groupon.

Choose Between Two Options $50 for 20 all-access visits to the nature park (a $100 value) $130 for an outdoor picnic-site rental for up to 25 (a $275 value).

Morton's Warm Springs

The 22 acres of Morton's Warm Springs sprawls across meadows, clusters of towering oaks, and rugged rock formations surrounding a bubbling creek, immersing visitors in outdoor recreation since 1946. The site originally served as a camp for the Wappo Native Americans, who believed its mineral waters were sacred and imbued with healing properties. Today, visitors splash through these same waters in three natural mineral pools fed by geothermal springs, where park staff also teach basic swim techniques and advanced Marco Polo strategy to children 5-12 years old. Guests can also play on bocce-ball, basketball, and sand or hard volleyball courts, and stroll along natural paths meandering beside the creek, which has its own designated swimming area. Throughout the park, 16 indoor or outdoor picnic sites house revelers during weddings, family reunions, and school events, and many are equipped with brick or stone grills for cooking, running water for washing, and electricity for recharging robot uncles. A full snack bar and free parking round out the experience.

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Mankind's underdeveloped climbing skills and inability to digest tin cans are two ways in which evolution left humans inferior to goats. It's mind over Matterhorn with this Groupon.

$20 for Rock Climbing for Two (Up to $40 Value)

One-day outing for two includes entrance fee, shoe and harness rental, and in-and-out privileges.

Rockzilla

Underneath the sky-blue rafters of Rockzilla's spacious indoor gym, a veritable mountain range of multicolored walls challenges climbers of all experience levels. Sheer-faced cliffs challenge the top-roping and lead-climbing techniques of both beginners and experts, and a mushroom-shaped structure builds skills in bouldering and reveals the fossil record of ancient screws and bolts. The mat-lined floor, harnesses, and dedication to belaying skills ensure every visitor's comfort and safety. In addition to hosting hangouts, parties, and team-building exercises onsite, Rockzilla crashes entire tectonic plates into customers' backyards, forming portable climbing walls available for rent.

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Playing an arcade game is the most fun a person can have with a quarter, aside from attempting to rip it in two to impress job interviewers or giving George Washington a tiny makeover. Keep your finances intact with this Groupon.

$17 for One Hour of Arcade Play for Two (Up to $35.50 Value)

This Groupon is valid for visits on both weekdays and weekends, and provides access to any game that does not award a prize.

Scandia Family Fun Center

Scandia Family Fun Center flings open the doors to youthful fantasy in a lush space that has continued to blossom since opening day in 1988. Much of the management has been on staff for more than 15 years, evincing a love of fun that is reflected in the manicured grounds and impressive wealth of games. Juniper and magnolia trees shade shingled cottages and castles rise from mossy rocks on the two 18-hole mini-golf courses. The sounds of splashing and laughter indicate both the birth of another pirate and a direct hit from a Blaster boat's front-mounted water cannon, backdropped by go-karts rumbling on the Li'l Indy Raceway and bats cracking in the batting cages. Inside, the arcade illustrates the evolution of gaming with more than 150 machines. A limited-edition Tron pinball machine crowns the collection of vintage games, and modern play is represented with multiplayer dance simulators, Quadair hockey tables, and cinematic experiences such as Terminator: Salvation, which screens on a 100-inch monitor. Visitors who left their pizza-flavor chew toys at home can check out Scandia's Viking Pizza.

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A trip to the paintball arena is the only way to treat an itchy trigger finger, outside of expensive rash creams or firing a water gun carved from a cactus. Scratch the itch for vengeance with this Groupon.

Choose from Three Options $15 for a paintball package for one (a $31 value) $29 for a paintball package for two (a $62 value) $55 for a paintball package for four (a $124 value)

With all three options, each player receives three hours of field time, a rental marker and loader, protective mask and vest, and a stash of 140 paintballs. Trigger-happy hunters can purchase additional paintballs in quantities of 140 ($7), 500 ($16), or 2,000 rounds ($40).

Escape

Escape curates friendly competition within its 45,000-square-foot facility, which houses massive paintball and laser-tag arenas. The faux-combat emporium houses two indoor paintball fields, including a castle-themed map in which players defend flags just like peasants did in the days of medieval paint arrowing. Ribbons of light cut through the ominous fog that hangs over the 5,000-square-foot Q-ZAR Lazertag arena, a maze-like structure illuminated by black lights and soundtracked with high-octane beats. After rounds of recreational warfare, guests can relax at Escape's arcade or tap into the building-wide wireless internet to send an email ordering an ambush on an unsuspecting pal.

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Traditional makeup smears easily, making it difficult to sport a fresh face when swimming or kissing a picture of Zack Morris. Brandish a nuzzle-proof look with this Groupon.

Choose Between Two Options $159 for a permanent brow makeup application (a $700 value) $179 for a permanent upper and lower eyeliner makeup application (an $800 value)

About Faces

A member of the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals, Deborah Barrolaza prides herself on adding a lifelong glow to her patients' faces via permanent-makeup application. She applies color to the eyes and lips, and can shape eyebrows so clients never look shocked no matter how many times they walk in on their parents reading Twilight. She also offers camouflage treatments as an option for those who wish to hide scars or alter previous cosmetic makeup.

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Until the recreational watercraft was invented, mankind's only hope for summer fun involved hitting candied hams with tree branches. This Groupon celebrates watery invention.

$50 for Two-Hour Standup-Paddleboard Lesson ($100 Value)

Over two hours, an expert instructor imparts the basics of standup paddleboarding, such as rowing, maintaining balance, and using breaching whales' backs as de facto ramps. Afterward, students can hang on to their rental package-which includes a board, paddle, and leash-and spend the day gliding over the waves of San Francisco Bay. Lessons run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, or by appointment.

Demo Sport

Sharing a deep passion for the outdoors, the staff at Demo Sport engineers aquatic and alpine fun with an inventory of high-performance sporting equipment for seasons both hot and cold. In the summer months, customers can prepare for riding ocean waves or churning placid lakes into giant whirlpools with standup paddleboards, Suftech and Ronix wakeboards, and accessories such as gloves, boots, and life jackets. Once snow has blanketed nearby peaks, athletes carve the powdery slope atop skis from Rossignol or Völkl and snowboards from Burton and K2, Demo Sport also carries bikes and inline skates, both great methods for exploring urban environments without paying pigeons' outrageous tour prices.

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The need to "feel the wind in your hair" is best fulfilled by skydiving, though it can also be fulfilled by riding in a convertible, swinging on a tire swing, or getting sneezed on by a jumbo jet. Feel the rush with this Groupon.

$36 for an Earn Your Wings package with a Commemorative DVD (Up to a $79.90 Value)

This package gets Groupon-holders two 1-minute flights in the tunnel, with all flight gear and training included. Two flights-the time equivalent of three tandem skydives-allow plenty of time to practice an MJ--tribute moonwalk, rid the dust from gaming cartridges or pop the question to a significant other. The DVD lets fliers relive tricks and maneuvers for years to come, and a personalized flight certificate gets 2.5 hours of free valet parking. Call ahead to schedule an appointment.

iFly SF

IFly's wind tunnel simulates skydiving without plummeting toward the earth at 9.8 meters per second by suspending patrons only a few feet off the ground, sans parachute. Unlike an amusement-park ride, simulator, or a jump off a one-story house, the vertical wind tunnel re-creates the experience of actual flying, with professional instructors controlling the airflow the entire time and communicating with fliers via hand signals. IFly's cache of knee pads, elbow pads, earplugs, flight suits, helmets, and goggles keep divers protected during flight. IFly plans flights for groups of all sizes and occasions including birthdays, corporate events, and summer camps.

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