Making my rounds each day, it’s easy to start taking the stuccoed façades, red-tiled roofs, and sculptural details of Balboa Park’s historic buildings for granted—especially as my attention wavers between them and my ground-level business at hand.

Fortunately, the Architectural Heritage Tour, presented free on the first Wednesday of the month at 9:30am, is there to fill me in on how this impressive grouping of scenic structures came into being smack dab in the middle of a major metropolitan area and three glorious dog parks.

Led by a member of the Committee of 100, an organization that advocates for the preservation of Balboa Park, the Architectural Heritage Tour is a walking history book—but one with lots of pictures, or at least great photo opportunities! Focusing on the Central Mesa area, the tour reviews each building’s origin, purpose, and architectural features.

The tour also describes how the Park was founded during San Diego’s early days and the two major expositions in 1915 and 1935 that generated the need for new exhibition spaces and gardens. Perhaps more importantly, the tour provides a primer on all the things bipeds can see and do inside each building, making it a great place start for anyone new in town or just visiting.

The tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and meets in front of the Visitors Center entrance, where I can always get a few gulps of fresh water from the doggie dish before embarking on a tour.

If you miss this monthly tour, you can also rent the walking audio tour inside the Visitors Center, which covers the same ground. Just be sure to tell them Cosmos sent you!

You don’t need to be Pavlov’s dog to get a first-hand taste of the wonders of science this Saturday when Balboa Park presents its second annual Park-Wide Science Family Day. From 11am to 3pm, more than 20 different cultural institutions will offer an ample selection of fun science-themed activities to satisfy the palettes of all ages as participating museums extend free admission to children 17 and under with a paid adult.

Special this year, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center will introduce visitors to the famous storm-chasing scientist Dr. Josh Wurman and his 26,000-ton Doppler on Wheels—the biggest mobile weather radar to ever visit the Park!—which will be stationed outside the Fleet for all to climb aboard (see photo).

Though I can’t bark about everything else going on this Saturday in the space of this blog, I’ve listed a few highlights below. For a complete list, visit balboapark.org.

Japanese Friendship Garden—celebrate spring at the Cherry Blossom Festival

Museum of Man—examine human bones and make a calavera (skull) mask

San Diego Air & Space Museum—make space-themed paper airplanes and fly them in competitions

San Diego Automotive Museum—build cars using LEGOs^® and tiny motors

San Diego Floral Association—free butterfly crafts, face painting & butterfly release (1pm)

San Diego Historical Society—participate in a mock archaeological dig

San Diego Museum of Art—hands-on explorations of optical illusions and the science of color

San Diego Natural History Museum—delve into the world of live lizards and snakes

San Diego Zoo (booth on the Prado)—decorate a pot and take home a native plant

Spanish Village—hands-on activities reveal the role of science in art

Timken Museum of Art—free storytelling explores flowers in art (11am only)

Spring marks the return of many of my favorite things: from April flowers in the Park to chasing baseballs at Morley Field. But most of all, I look forward to the resumption of the weekly smorgasbords, a.k.a. Lawn Programs, at the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages.

To celebrate its 75th year, the cottages are adding a Saturday Lawn Program series to complement the long running Sunday afternoon programs. Scheduled for the first Saturday of the month, the free Saturday @ The Lawn series will feature dancers, musicians, and other performers from a wide range of cultural traditions.

For instance, kicking off the series this Saturday, March 5, will be Polish singer and musician Krzysztof Wiszniewski, the keyboard prodigies the Pizarro Brothers, Flamenco dances courtesy of Sabor Andaluz (pictured), Flamenco guitar music by NovaMenco, a Chinese Lion Dance, and much more.

These performances will set the stage, if you will, for the spectacular annual fiesta, a.k.a. Lawn Program, hosted by the House of Mexico on Sunday, March 6. Honoring next month’s Dia de los Niños (Day of the Children), the festival will serve up plenty of additional cultural entertainment, traditional costumes and crafts, and of course the usual assortment of Mexican delicacies fit for Cosmos consumption, including enchiladas, tostadas, and carne asada.

If you’re unable to take in this weekend’s cultural double header, don’t despair. Saturday @ The Lawn returns monthly while the Sunday Lawn Programs continue through October, featuring a different cultural host, and menu, each week.

Unbeknownst to most bipeds, we canine critters have a real knack for science. How else would we be able to anticipate how high to jump to snag a Frisbee or food scrap in mid-air, or know how fast we need to run in a circle to catch our tail?

My human friends can close this science learning gap next month when Balboa Park presents the second annual Science Family Day on Saturday, March 19. As the official kick off to the week-long San Diego Science Festival, the Science Family Day encourages pups of all ages to explore the science behind everything from optical illusions in art to paper airplane making to catching food with a 12-inch tongue (dare to dream!).

Over 20 Balboa Park institutions are presenting activities, entertainment, and information from 11am to 3pm as participating museums offer FREE admission to children 17 and under with a paid adult.

In addition, there will be a free drawing for a number of cool prizes at the Balboa Park Visitors Center, including a Family 4-Pack of Balboa Park Passports. And outside the Visitors Center, booths hosted by various organizations, such as the San Diego Zoo, SDG&E, and MTS, will offer even more goodies and activities.

For a complete list of activities and updates, visit Balboa Park’s website. And for the scoop on the San Diego Science Festival 2011, visit www.sdsciencefestival.com.

It’s really no coincidence that Balboa Park is the region’s most popular venue for weddings, proposals, and first dates. So with Valentine’s Day falling on a Monday, make this Saturday and Sunday the perfect “date weekend” in San Diego’s top romantic hot spot.

Whether it’s puppy love or something else, here are my top five things to do with your honey bun this weekend:

Garden Strolls: No need to buy flowers as you will find plenty of live blooms (even in February) to enjoy with your sweetie throughout the Park’s many gardens, including in the Botanical Building, the Alcazar Garden, and the Desert Garden.

Romantic Picnic Spots: Nothing is more romantic than packing an elegant meal and sharing it in some of the Park’s more scenic out-of-the-way nooks, such as Zoro Garden, the Marston House Garden, and the courtyard behind the Park Administration Building. There are also some great areas with picnic tables in Redwood Circle, Pine Grove, and Golden Hill Park.

The Prado Restaurant: If you prefer to let someone else do the cooking (and dishes), the Park’s premier restaurant for fine dining is The Prado at Balboa Park. Not surprisingly, the restaurant is already booked for Valentine’s Day, but if you make a reservation soon, you can still find openings on Saturday and Sunday.

Museum Hopping: Impress that special someone with how cultured you are by taking him or her to some of San Diego’s most prestigious museums. Fortunately, February happens to be Museum Month, so you can save some coin for chocolates and more chocolates.

Off-leash Dog Parks: If it’s just you and your best four-legged friend (nothing wrong with that), this weekend would be a great time to visit one of Balboa Park’s three off-leash dog parks. Not only because your best bud will enjoy flocking unfettered with the neighborhood pack, but you just might meet that fellow dog lover of your dreams. Remember: MUST LOVE DOGS!