The invention of the wheel was followed swiftly by the invention of the ball, a heavy stone sphere used to chase away the inventor of the wheel and steal his idea. Play with the shape that changed history with today's Groupon: for $20, you get one hour of open bowling for up to six people (up to a $32 value), including shoes (up to an $18 value) and a ticket to the Lazer Maze (up to an $18 value) for everyone, at Rab's Country Lanes in Staten Island (up to a $68 total value).

Rab's Country Lanes accommodates bowlers with 48 Brunswick-made synthetic wood lanes, each equipped with an automatic touch-screen computer and a 40-inch overhead score-keeping monitor. After slipping into shoes, players can spend 60 minutes leveling pins and trading winks with the clowns in the lane's-end mural. Weekends promise the added excitement of cosmic bowling—which bathes the alley in blue light and tunes courtesy of Bowling Music Network until 2 a.m.—and the Laser Maze, a dark grotto perforated by bright-green light beams eager to graze your skin and set off the flashing red alarm of failure.

Prices vary throughout the week; check the schedule for specific rates and times.