Without kayaking, humans would connect with nature by starting pocket ant farms and enrolling children in wolf-run daycare. Answer the call of the wild in comfort with today's Groupon: for $30, you get a four-hour, self-guided kayak trip and shuttle service from Wild Rivers Adventure Company in Florence, Wisconsin, a roughly 5.5-hour drive from Chicago (up to a $60 value). The shuttle provides service from anywhere within a 30-mile radius of Florence.

Wild Rivers Adventure Company's quality kayaks glide effortlessly across Florence’s 165 miles of emerald river, sun-dappled by overhanging foliage, while serving as an excellent vantage point for wildlife-watchers. A convenient shuttle chauffeurs paddle-jockeys, newly equipped with colorful water steeds and all necessary accouterments, to a choice of location along one of Florence’s two rivers and many lakes. Chart a course among verdant lily pads and tadpoles' hushed Marco Polo games before returning triumphantly in Wild Rivers' shuttle. Nascent trout whisperers must be at least 12 years of age and weigh less than 275 pounds.