Deals in Paradise

On this week’s agenda: get in the Halloween spirit by battling zombies, touring the infamous “Motel of Death,” and screaming your way through the Fright Dome. For less terrifying entertainment, check out Wicked at The Smith Center or a high-energy percussion performance. Enjoy yourself, and as always, check Groupon for even more great things to do in Las Vegas. The Zombie Apocalypse Experience Suburbs | Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Did another favorite character just bite the dust on The Walking Dead? Soothe your frustration at the Zombie Apocalypse Experience. Armed with .50-caliber paintball shotguns, players take matters into their own hands, battling a zombie outbreak through four infested zones. Spoiler alert: the zombies don’t have any guns. (13011 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Enterprise; from $39; buy tickets here) Haunted City Tours Downtown | Every Saturday at 8 p.m. Brave visitors meet at the front entrance of The Plaza Hotel and Casino to embark on a guided tour through downtown’s actual haunts, such as the infamous “Motel of Death” and other hotbeds of ghostly phenomenon. In between shrieks, your guide provides historical fun facts along with additional paranormal tales. (1 S. Main St.; from $35; buy tickets here) Wicked at The Smith Center Downtown | Through November 9 Tony- and Grammy-winning Broadway musical Wicked has returned to The Smith Center. The current tour continues to break box-office records across the country, so snag tickets now so you can sing along with Elphaba and Glinda during their younger days in the Land of Oz. (361 Symphony Park Ave.; from $45; buy tickets here) Fright Dome at Circus Circus The Strip | Nightly throughout October The Las Vegas Sun deemed Fright Dome’s opening night “spook-tacular”—and with 250,000 “scare” feet that includes six haunted houses, four scare zones, and 25 rides, that sounds pretty accurate. Watch out for Leatherface as you scream your way through the 5-acre theme park. (2880 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; from $39.95; buy tickets here) Recycled Percussion The Strip | Saturday–Thursday at 7 p.m. The Showroom at the Quad transforms into a percussion lovers’ paradise during Recycled Percussion, which came in third place on America’s Got Talent in 2010. During the high-energy shows led by a quartet of four tattooed young men, everything from chainsaws to plastic barrels and the human body become percussion instruments for "junk-rock" reinterpretations of heavy metal, pop, and hip-hop hits. (3535 S. Las Vegas Blvd.; from $24.99; buy tickets here) Image courtesy of Combat Zone Paintball

On this week’s agenda: a musical spin on menopause, standup comedy at the Laugh Factory, a ride on the Nevada rails, a (funny) tour of the Hoover Dam, and a book event with Michael Jackson’s security-team-turned-authors. Have fun, and as always, check Groupon for even more great things to do in Las Vegas. Menopause the Musical The Strip | Nightly through October Menopause is hilarious. At least, it is during Menopause the Musical, appearing through October at the Luxor Hotel and Casino's Atrium Showroom. The show tells the story of four women whose chance meeting at a lingerie sale leads to spontaneous (and uproarious) song-and-dance routines about mood swings and hot flashes. (3900 Las Vegas Blvd. S; $39 and up; buy tickets here) Comedians Dom Irrera, Mike Saccone, and Frazer Smith at Laugh Factory The Strip | Sunday, August 31 at 8:30 or 10:30 p.m. LA comic Frazer Smith welcomes award-winning headliner Dom Irrera for this week’s show at the Laugh Factory. Irrera brings with him more than three decades of joke-making experience, which includes a Cable Ace Award for Best Standup Special and memorable guest spots on Seinfeld and King of Queens. Featured comic Mike Saccone opens the night. (801 Las Vegas Blvd. S; $32 and up; buy tickets here) Ride the Nevada Southern Railway Boulder City | Every Saturday and Sunday Ride the rails into the past every weekend on the Nevada Southern Railway excursion train. Departing from the Nevada State Railroad Museum, the train pulls its authentic Pullman coaches and open-air cars along an historic branch line built in service of the Boulder Dam project in the 1930s. (600 Yucca St., Boulder City; adults are $10, children are $5) Comedic Hoover Dam Tour Lake Mead | Daily A Hoover Dam tour hasn’t been this funny since the days of Clark Griswold. Led by Comedy on Deck Tours' comedian guide, tour-bus riders travel from Las Vegas to the Hoover Dam, where they enjoy PG laughs during a 45-minute trek atop the dam. The tour also includes lunch and a pit-stop at the Ethel M Chocolate Factory. (Bus tour departs from several Las Vegas locations before arriving at Hoover Dam; $79 and up; buy tickets here) Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days Book Event Northwest | Saturday, August 30 Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard were present for the passing of a legend, working as members of Michael Jackson's security team at the time of his death in 2009. At Barnes & Noble, they'll recount their experiences and sign copies of their book, Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days. (2191 N. Rainbow Blvd.; free)

Las Vegas is known for its top-notch golf courses, with more than 60 scattered throughout the Vegas Valley, complete with spectacular water features, views and challenges. While most experience courses in the environs of the city limits, two golf facilities are out-of-the-way hidden gems, nestled in picturesque settings off the beaten track and away from the hustle of the Strip. Located 35 minutes south of Las Vegas near the California border, the Primm Valley Golf Club offers two Tom Fazio-designed courses. The 6,945-yard par-71 Lakes Course is lush enough to make you forget you are in the desert, with tall pines, thick orchards, green ryegrass and acres of lakes and river systems. While the 7,131-yard par-72 Desert Course similarly contains five lakes and vibrant greens, it also spotlights the natural beauty of the mountain peaks and desert valleys. Palm trees, mesquite and a variety of cacti and native desert wildflowers can be seen, giving a sense of isolation while appreciating the beauty of the Mojave Desert. Best of all, your greens fees include the use of a rental cart and full access to the 22-acre practice facility, which offers a driving range, putting greens and more. About 25 miles northwest of the Vegas Strip at the base of Snow Mountain, the Paiute Golf Resort is a master-planned, multi-course facility built on Native American land. It offers three Pete Dye-designed courses suited to players of all skill levels, with panoramic views of the Vegas skyline and the nearby snowcapped mountains in the Spring Mountain, Sheep Mountain and Mt. Charleston ranges. At an elevation of 2,800 ft., temperatures run eight to ten degrees cooler than the city, providing a respite from the 100 degree heat that often blankets Sin City. The 7,146-yard 72-par Snow Mountain course features a desert landscape, wide ryegrass fairways, railroad tie bunkers and seven water hazards. The 7,112-yard 72-par Sun Mountain course is the least difficult and most scenic of the three, with Joshua trees, wildflower blooms, four large lakes and the best vantage point for viewing the mountain ranges. The 7,604-yard 72-par Wolf Course is the longest in the state of Nevada, and the most difficult of the three courses, thanks to tricky fairways and sloping greens. And if you need a little extra help, PGA-certified instructors are available for lessons.