Before man conquered his fear of water, he amused himself with dust sports such as pushing boulders off cliffs, wrestling tumbleweeds, and falling in the dust. Enjoy splash-worthy conquests with today's Groupon: for $14, you get two admissions to Rainbow Falls Waterpark in Elk Grove Village (a $16–$28 value, depending on age and residency status). Guests must be at least 48 inches tall to use the slides, and tots younger than 2 years old are admitted for free.

Elk Grove Park District's Rainbow Falls Waterpark beckons water lovers to its sprawling aqueous grounds—complete with slides, pools, a three-story funhouse, picnic spots, and bath facilities for the whole family. Lounge in Sunfish Bay, a tranquil leisure pool, or imitate amphibious travelers on the Lily Pad Leap, hopping across enormous, buoyant green lily pads while gripping an overhead rope bridge before three bullfrogs return demanding to know who's been eating their flies. The Raging Reptile River teems with transparent tubes, and the Calypso Twist twirls adventurists down four winding slides. During the course of a sun-splashed afternoon, families can disperse throughout the three-story funhouse of Pelican's Peak, execute the perfect pike from the Dolphin Dive, or let toddlers test the waters of Coqui Frog Pond's tot pool before committing to enroll them in a preschool of fish.