The 1854 Gold Rush saw a glut in the production of cowboy hats, which doubled as ersatz stew pots and planters for sheriff's office ficuses. Put cowboy hats to a worthy use with today's Groupon: for $25, you get cover for two people (a $20 value), two drinks (up to a $17 value), and two cowboy hats (a $24 value) at The Bourbon Country Bar in historic Gastown.

The Bourbon Country Bar whets the whistles of local cowpokes with stiff drinks and toe-tapping country-western tunes seven nights a week. At this bustling late-night watering hole, compadres can clap on a rodeo chapeau before heading to the bar, where the bleached skull of a steer lassoed by high-stakes pinochle legend Roy Rogers presides over shelves of strong, flavourful liquor. On Fridays and Saturdays, thrill-seeking cattlepunchers can also hop astride the mechanical bull to pit their puny human finger-strength against its havoc-wreaking hydraulics, while others hit the dance floor to groove to the honky-tonk sounds of house band Whiskey Business and other live performers. Since The Bourbon Country Bar welcomes groups of all sizes, birthdays and stag parties are often sighted there—make sure to avoid the latter's sharp horns and cuttingly erudite fightin' words.