Arizona Guide and Deals

Since 1988, Auto Care Super Saver has been helping car owners save cash with maintenance punch cards redeemable at local auto shops throughout the course of a full year. These cards come loaded with all kinds of prepaid services, including at least three full-service oil changes with up to 5 quarts of oil, lube, and a new filter. Depending on the location, punch cards may also feature tire rotations, brake inspections, engine-light readings, air-conditioning performance tests, and other repairs and inspections essential to a car's well-being. Customers can transfer the punch card's benefits to any ride, ranging from station wagons to sports cars to feral merry-go-round mounts.

At Stratum Lasertag, light warriors leap and duck while toting phasers in an arena with 15 different levels and 90 towers, bridges, and ramps. Designed by the EME Entertainment group, who designed Universal Studios Japan, the emporium bathes warriors in the flickering of strobe lights and the neon glow of black lights as they ascend ramps and blast at one another from different angles. Throughout the space, murals of black holes, outer space, and alien creatures set the mood for bouts of intergalactic warfare. In between laser bouts, players can refuel at the concession area or keep trigger fingers nimble with a stint in the arcade room. Stratum Lasertag outfits participants with laser-tag vests and phasers during birthday parties, bar and bat mitzvahs, graduation celebrations, and team-building events for actual builders.

Trailhead Bike Shop and Cafe fulfils every gearhead's two basic needs: offering the sale and repair of all things bike-related, and calories. The shop's group of certified bike technicians keeps frames of all makes and models in bikini-ready shape and top form with detailed repair services, and can help customers find their steely soulmate from their selection of road and mountain bikes. On the other side of the shop, a café with blazing WiFi keeps riders as road ready as their two-wheelers, serving up a savory selection of breakfast and lunch sandwiches, smoothies, coffee drinks, and soup. After nourishing both selves and steeds, riders can hit the trails of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, which begin just outside the shop.

Nearly a half century ago, horticulturist Harrison G. Yocum opened his backyard to the public, displaying a bounteous collection of cacti and palms. After a few relocations, expansions, and the establishment of a nonprofit charter, Tucson Botanical Gardens now spreads 17 distinct plots across more than 5 acres. A delicate rumble hearkens the arrival of the Garden Railway miniature train, which winds through gardens uniquely dedicated to birds, butterflies, wildflowers, and traditional Native American crops. Admission—which is free for garden members and children younger than 3—grants passage to five different tours, and groups of 10 or more can arrange self-guided or docent-led tours at a discounted rate. If visitors awaken their appetites by savoring aromas from the onsite herb garden or by staring at clouds shaped like canned goods, they can dig in at the Gardens' Café, where sun spills through a slatted gazebo onto iron tables loaded with roast-beef baguettes and mexican tortilla soup.

Golf is a sport of physical precision and aerial dynamics, won and lost upon the pendulum of your swing. Brush up on your golf physics with today’s Groupon, offering a Silver Eagle membership card ($99 value) plus two rounds of golf (up to $110 value), two buckets of range balls ($22 value), and two drinks ($12 per drink) at Kokopelli Golf Club from Eagle Golf, all for the price of just the membership.

Gold Canyon's spa features a full range of bliss-basting services to put clients at ease. Try a sports-specific massage technique such as the Eagle (60 minutes, $70) or the deep, muscle-melting techniques of the Superstition hot-stone therapy (60 minutes, $90). Slip into a volcanic-clay body wrap to revitalize the outer covering of your bonesuit (90 minutes, $135), or moisturize your emotion maker with a hydrating mineral-mask facial (60 minutes, $85). Prep and pamper nails with a Gold Canyon spa manicure ($30) and pedicure ($50), and roam the wilderness with meticulously groomed keratin. For a manly man-sperience at the manspa, indulge in a gentlemen's facial, which addresses issues specific to beard-prone skin and finishes with a warm, soothing towel (60 minutes, $85).