Without laughter, playgrounds would be silent except for the creaking of old swing sets and the splashing of the tears that have trickled into the belowground aquifer over the years. Celebrate the sound of mirth with today's Groupon: for $10, you get two admissions to a comedy show at The Vent Comedy Club (a $20 value).

Audiences settle into seats fixed around The Vent Comedy Club's intimate stage, upon which comics strive to elicit laughs with talents that have been showcased on HBO, Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, and more. Professional gut busters take to the stage every Friday at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. to spin eccentric worldviews and roust guffaws from audiences much the same way that hunters roust Care Bears from cotton-candy bushes. These general-admission shows have featured such comics as Austin's own Ruby Collins and San Antonio's Blair Thompson—both capable of satisfying audiences of all ages with narrative curios and witty repartees. The Vent Comedy Club hosts its performances within Gators, a bar and grill with a menu populated by burgers and full bar that dispenses drinks to thirsty patrons as they feast on jokes while seated at one of the club's many tables.