A recently discovered alternative to the indoors, going "outside" offers adventurous explorers exposure to things such as wind, sunshine, and the naturally occurring mazes found in corn fields. Leave the indoors with today's Groupon: for $40, you get a one-year family/general membership (an $80 value) to Denver Botanic Gardens. A Family/General membership to the Gardens scores you and up to five people all of the benefits listed in the sidebar.

A year-round plant-and-nature paradise for kids, adults, and city-dwelling man-sized butterflies, Denver Botanic Gardens schedules special floral fireworks for every season. This fall, members will enjoy discounted admission to the Pumpkin Fest on October 9–10, and its cavalcade of amusement rides, trick-or-treat stations, and artisan markets. Families and unusually wholesome street gangs will get to press cider, ride ponies, paint faces, get up close to deadly birds of prey, tour haunted nineteenth-century homesteads, and more before losing themselves in the Gardens' 8-acre corn maze (open through Halloween), shaped like the Children's Garden's marmot mascot and containing a frozen-solid Jack Nicholson.

Denver Botanic Gardens' acres of posh foliage are just as bright in winter weather during Trail of Lights (December 3–5), when one million lights are draped among the trees in elegant designs set against a gorgeous backdrop of the Colorado foothills and deep-blue evening sky. While you're at the Gardens, stay for Blossoms of Light (December 3–5) and wander among the illuminated ice sculptures lining the forest path with a warm drink and tasty treat in hand; let a pair of HoloSpex glasses transform the twinkling sights into a hallucinogenic holiday phantasmagoria. To help you and your date or confused census-taker stay warm, the Gardens have thoughtfully dotted the colorful wonderland of lights with numerous secluded romantic hideaways and make-out points.

More perennial highlights at Denver Botanic Gardens include a Japanese oasis with Ponderosa pine, bug-munching Venus flytraps, South African asparagus fern, and around 175 varieties of roses. When the weather is warm, eco-minded architects will be freshly inspired by the public green roof, a garden hat that protects a building's roof from sunlight and temperature variations while supporting a habitat for birds, insects, and other wildlife. Otherwise, amble along the scenic nature trails at the Chatfield garden, a grasslands nature preserve on the banks of Deer Creek.

This Groupon is valid for new members only; in order to qualify, you must not have had a membership in the previous 12 months. Your email will be shared with Denver Botanic Gardens in order for your membership to be redeemed.

Reviews

Denver Botanical Gardens was awarded second place in the Best Denver Museum category by CityVoters in 2010. Yelpers and TripAdvisors give it a four-star average:

• The gardens are a peaceful sanctuary in the middle of town. It has nicely manicured gardens, a riot of plants and flowers, and an interesting collection of sculptures. It has several "corners" where you can just sit and absorb the smells – houstonturtle, TripAdvisor
• …the Gardens where [sic] BEAUTIFUL. So many little tiny niches, that you couldn't help but LOVE. – Michael P., Yelp