Tea was discovered in ancient China when a leaf blew in the window and landed in the emperor's bath, which he was slurping through a straw. Sip leaves steeped more decorously with today's Groupon: for $15, you get afternoon tea and treats for two at Ben Lomond Suites Historic Hotel (a $30 value). This deal is valid on the first Friday of each month, with sittings available at 4 p.m. or 5 p.m.

Served next to the high ceilings, sun-soaked windows, and fireplace of the Sunlit Room, afternoon tea at the Ben Lomond Suites allows diners to snack inside the former Bigelow Hotel, an exuberant Italian Renaissance Revival building constructed in 1927. Tea-takers choose from a lineup of local leaves, steeped and served alongside an assortment of scones, tea sandwiches, mini-pastries and a dainty dessert. Throughout the meal, visitors can tap along to live piano performance as elegant eighth-notes set a relaxing mood. Afterward, visitors can browse the work of the historic 25th Street galleries during the First Friday Art Stroll, where artists show off their aesthetic tours de force along with their Dali moustaches and Picasso-inspired perms.