Bowling is one of the few sports where drinking is acceptable and sweaty locker rooms are nonexistent. With today's Groupon, you get $45 worth of lanes and shoe rentals at Emerald Bowl for $20. The value can also be applied to birthday or corporate parties, but not toward the bowling emporium's vast stockpile of actual emeralds.

Emerald Bowl boasts a clean facility for rolling 15-pounders and pounding 15 fruit roll-ups atop impeccably groomed floors. Though you can only use your Groupon toward shoe and lane rentals, Emerald Bowl also offers a full bar and snack bar to satisfy your mid-frame cravings. Lace up with shoe rental ($3.23 for adults, $2.31 for kids) before embarking on the daunting task of ball selection. Bargain gamers will appreciate Emerald Bowl's matinee prices: kids' games are $3.46, adults $3.93, and seniors $3.46 every day before 6 p.m. You can also opt to rent a lane for two hours for $36.95, or one hour for $23.09. Prices go up at night and on weekends, when bowling balls are more likely to disobey the laws of gravity and crash through the ceiling. View a complete list of prices here.

Bowling works neglected muscles you never knew you had. Since you're only obligated to play when it's your time, you won't have to worry about awkward sweating or catching your breath. Unlike soccer games and couple runs, you won't exert yourself to the point of limiting conversation, so bowling can help you stay athletically social. Get this Groupon for your niece's birthday party or bowl a few rounds with someone who's crushing on you without the suggestion of romance. If you've got enough of an ensemble to declare it a four-lane party, call ahead to reserve the spots.

Reviews

Two Citysearchers, two Yahoo! Local reviewers, one Yelper, and one RateItAll! reviewer give Emerald Bowl five stars:

• Very spacious, doesn't feel cramped.…Great for big parties...or if you just wanted to practice and bowl by yourself. – dathoodchik, Citysearch
• I think it's a fun place to go with friends to enjoy a night out bowling. Their facilities are nice and so is there [sic] staff. – Adil Darwesh, Citysearch
• This a well maintained bowling alley with excellence [sic] monitor graphics and a great atmosphere. – Nate, Yahoo! Local

Mysteriously Minerals

Emerald Bowl is named after the sparkling, verdant variety of beryl most commonly found in jewelry. Here's what you didn't know about some well-known minerals:

Gold: This malleable mineral is a key component in quality watchbands and most birdseed. The number of "karats" in gold jewelry refers to the number of years before the gold hatches into a snake and slithers away.

Silver: This second-place mineral is famous for its medicinal properties, and its liquid form is often prescribed to infants whose skin lacks the proper metallic hue. Silver is one of the only minerals that is mined not from caves, but from the bones of marsupials.

Emeralds: When exposed to temperatures greater than 80 degrees, emeralds dissipate into a thick gas that causes memory loss and short-term skin wrinkling. Also, emeralds only appear green to liars.