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Bayou Beckons - Buffalo Bayou Regatta. 9am. Test your endurance in Texas’ largest kayak and canoe race! Whether you paddle competitively or just for fun, the Buffalo Bayou Regatta is a great way to see Houston from a whole new angle. Join in the fun at the 36th annual 15-mile canoe and kayak race through the heart of our city. Houston events at Downtown, in Buffalo Bayou. Call 713-752-0314 for more info.

Houston Symphony - The Beethoven Experience. 10am. Get to know the breadth of Beethoven’s genius through his music. Music Director Hans Graf and the Houston Symphony guide you through the Fifth Symphony, string quartets, piano sonatas and the complete music to Egmont. “Café Beethoven” will serve snacks and meals throughout the day. Understand Beethoven’s music more deeply through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Houston events at Jones Hall. Call 713-224-7575 for more info.

Soc. For the Performing Arts - Dan Zanes and Friends. 11am-2pm. 2007 Grammy winner Dan Zanes and Friends occupy a unique place in American music where sea shanties, Broadway standards, North American and West Indian folk music, fiddle tunes, the spirit of rock-and-roll, and soulful originals collide. It's one big music party, and everyone's invited. Houston events at the Wortham Center. Call 713-227-4SPA for more info.

Azalea Trail. 11am-5:30pm. Houstonians and visitors view the spectacular gardens at Bayou Bend and Rienzi and visit River Oaks' exquisite private homes and admire their breathtaking gardens. Houston events at 2503 Westheimer at Kirby. Call 713-523-2483 for more info. Event ID: 3/9

William Shakespeare Othello. Houston events at the Alley Theatre. Call 713-220-5700 for more info. Event ID:3/30

Maggini String Orchestra - Serioso. 8pm. Felix Mendelssohn's "other" violin concerto, played by concertmaster Adam LaMotte, and Beethoven's String Quartet in F Minor, nicknamed "Serioso" in a special arrangement for Maggini, is a colossal force of the master composer's spirit. Houston events at the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. Call 713.315.2525 for more info.

Houston Ballet - Cinderella. Houston events at the Wortham Center. The story has been a favorite for generations, but make no mistake, this is not your childhood Cinderella. More tomboy than princess, Stanton Welch’s title character is a striking woman of substance, determination and spunk. She fights the oppression and will of her evil stepmother with wit and vigor. And when she finds true love, she grabs it – and wisely holds on with both hands. Call 713-522-5538 for more info. Event ID:3/15

Houston Fishing Show 2008. With over 200,000 square feet of space available, the 31st annual even will be the largest consumer fishing show in the nation. The emphasis will be on fishing tackle and fishing boats with all facets of the world of fishing fully explored through displays, clinics and movies. Houston events at the Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas. Call 281-350-2741 for more info.Event ID:3/9

Stages Theatre - Lady. Three friends on a hunting trip become embroiled in an argument about the war in Iraq. As they discover that they don't know one another's deepest convictions as well as they thought, alliances shift, and the trip turns tragic. Play is fresh from its February world premiere - in this case, at Chicago's Northlight Theatre. Houston events at Stages Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway. Call 713-527-0123 for more info. Event ID:3/16

Houston Grand Opera - Last Acts.  World premiers musical play in three acts. "Last Acts" follows the life of an actress and mother named Madeline and her two grown children as they struggle to know and love one another. Sung in English. Call 713.228.OPERA for exact times. Houston events at Wortham Center, 501 Texas. Event ID:3/15

Theatre Under The Stars - Hello Dolly.  “Feel the room swayin’, for the band’s playin’, one of your old fav’rite songs from way back when” the grande dame musical of them all returns to the TUTS stage for the first time in 15 years. The red gown and feathers, those tunes everyone knows and the dancing waiters come home in a production that brings back the days when bigger was definitely better in Houston. Houston events at Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. Call 713-558-TUTS for more info. Event ID:3/9

Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius. Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest geniuses the world has ever known. More than 500 years ago, Da Vinci designed flying machines, robots, submarines, underwater breathing gear and solar powered industries. This remarkable internationally acclaimed exhibition displays over 60 models of Da Vinci's famous machines, inventions and designs based on ancient codices. At the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Event ID:9/1

Miwa Yanagi—Deutsche Bank Collection. Over her relatively short, but impressive career, Japanese artist Miwa Yanagi has fabricated three distinct series that confront and disrupt traditional perceptions of women. Houston events at Museum of Fine Arts, 1001 Bissonnet. Call 713-639-7300 for more info. Event ID:5/4

Where Clouds Disperse: Ink Paintings by Suh Se-ok.  Over his 40-year career, Suh Se-ok has incorporated his traditional training with his Modernist sensibility to create dynamic works that embody his artistic vision. He has been especially transfixed by the figurative form and has continually explored and perfected it until it evolved into powerful formal gestures of simple lines that comprise his definitive pictorial vocabulary. Location: Museum of Fine Arts, 1001 Bissonnet. Call 713-639-7300 for more info.

Genome: The Secret of How Life Works. Have you ever wondered what you have in common with a potato? How genes affect growth and aging, or what your future children might look like? Stop wondering and start exploring! Scientists have mapped the human genome – a person’s entire set of genes. Genes are the secret codes, or recipes that make us who we are and that influence who we might become. Houston events at Health Museum, 1515 Hermann Drive. Call 713-521-1515 for more info. Event ID:5/4

CSI: The Experience. This completely immersive exhibit invites visitors to enter one of three mock crime scenes, where they identify and record the evidence. It then takes them inside forensic laboratories for scientific testing and to autopsy rooms for pathology analysis. Houston events at Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle Drive. Call 713.639.IMAX for more info. Event ID:4/30

Pompeo Batoni: Prince of Painters in Eighteenth Century Rome Exhibition. Houston events at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Sesame Street Presents: The Body. Get to know what’s under your skin at Sesame Street Presents: The Body, an amazing new educational exhibition featuring Elmo, Oscar, Grover and the rest of your Sesame Street friends! Run, jump and play your way through a new interactive exhibition all about the human body. This exhibit will cover everything from fingers and toes to your ishy-squishy insides. Houston events at Health Museum, 1515 Hermann Drive. Call 713-521-1515 for more info.

Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia. Discover five million years of Ethipia's diverse history and culture. The exhibition will include the original fossilized remains of the 3.2 million-year-old hominid known as Lucy. With 40 percent of her skeleton intact, Lucy remains the oldest and most complete adult human ancestor fully retrieved from African soil. Location: Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle Drive. Event ID:4/20/08.