County fairs are much more popular than county unfairs, where burly carnies hold cotton candy just out of reach and the strongman contest is rigged with balloon dumbbells. Level the playing field with today's Groupon: for $25, you get an outing for two at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona (up to a $49 total value). The outing includes the following:

• Two admission passes (up to a $17 value each)
• Preferred parking at Gate 9 or 17 (a $15 value)
  
  

A Los Angeles tradition since 1922, the L.A. County Fair embodies the largest county fair in the nation, compiling animal attractions, local cuisine, shopping opportunities, and thrilling circus antics. Take the kids to lose a grinning contest during a live shark encounter, or sojourn back to a time of endless Renaissance fairs in the Land of Frogs, Princesses, and Knights. Spandexed aerialists trapeze in Esmeralda's Traveling Circus, inspiring little ones to transform into their favorite performers with the help of face paint and imagination fuel. Parents might peruse the metacollection of collections at the fair's Millard Sheets Center for the Arts or get in touch with their inner gourmand at the Wine & Spirits Marketplace. After filling fun tanks to bursting, families may saunter back to their conveniently parked cars and prevent a thrill surplus by reading the 1974 U.S. tax code.