Without lakeside hotels, fishermen would have to spend sleepless nights on the water, their insomnia eventually resulting in lost bait and accidental fishing-pole consumption. Step off the houseboat with today's Groupon: for $138, you get one night's lodging for two with breakfast (an $89 value), as well as 18 holes plus cart rental, range balls, and bottled water (a $150 value) at Garrison Inn & Suites on Mille Lacs Lake (a total $262.54 value including taxes), located about two hours away from the Twin Cities area.

Garrison Inn's rustic wicker-backed furniture eagerly accepts visitors relaxing between activities on and around the scenic Mille Lacs Lake. Double-occupancy rooms come with standard amenities, which include televisions and free wireless Internet. Guests with an insatiable appetite for aqua can complement a day on the lake with a swim or inflatable-shark duel in the inn's indoor heated pool or spa whirlpool. Come morning, complimentary continental breakfast fills hollow sea legs with hot coffee, hearty pancakes, and pastries in a homey, wallpapered milieu.

The par 72 of nearby Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge's The Lakes golf course challenges duos with 18 holes peppered throughout 6,800 yards of golfing terrain, with 10 holes boasting natural water obstacles. After expending range balls with long hits and complicated juggling routines, putt-putt through the course's emerald sprawl behind the wheel of a golf cart. Postgolf, guests may explore other area attractions, such as gaming, fishing, snowmobiling, bird watching, and birds that watch back.