Going to a festival, much like slithering into a vending machine, allows people to try different foods in one setting. Sample the fruits of a festival with today's Groupon: for $40, you get a one-day admission to Sunset Savor the Central Coast, presented by the San Luis Obispo County Visitors and Conference Bureau in Santa Margarita (an $85 value). This admission is valid for Sunday, October 2, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

San Luis Obispo County's Visitors and Conference Bureau and Sunset Magazine expose the flavorful nuances of libations from over 200 vintners and beer vendors, as well as fare from more than 30 chefs, in a festival stretching over the historic 15,000-acre Santa Margarita Ranch. Guests learn chef Cat Cora's inventive preparation of classic dishes and take in instruction on growing crops in pots, whipping up inventive veggie dips, or slicing fruits into the shape of wormholes during interactive seminars on one of four stages. Ride the antique rails of Santa Margarita's ranch train or wrangle newfangled horsepower across wide-open spaces while test-driving the latest Infiniti models. Corneas absorb the interweaving of practicality and landscape architecture during leisurely strolls through a 2-acre garden, in which fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers are arranged as artistically as the mustache of an old-Western hero. This Groupon includes standing room during all of the seminars.