NEED TO KNOW / NEWS STYLE TIPS TRENDS

Despite a 12-year incubation and price tag that swelled to $480 million, a new major Los Angeles County oceanfront resort opened on time Friday. Terranea Resort, developed by Brentwood-based Lowe Enterprises, occupies 102 acres on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, a location that offers ocean views from nearly every guest room. The 582-room resort includes a 360-room hotel, including 30 suites and 20 bungalows. But wait! There’s more: a 25-room spa, three pools, a nine-hole par-3 golf course overlooking the ocean, eight restaurants and 135,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space. If you book by June 28, you can get a king room for as low as $145. Info: (866) 802-8000, www.terranea.com.

-- Valli Herman

Talk about a ticket to the top. Now you can reserve a visit to the crown of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island off New York City. The crown, which was closed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, is scheduled to reopen July 4. Why reserve? Because only about 240 people will be allowed into the crown each day, at the rate of three groups of 10 every hour, the U.S. Department of the Interior said. Crown tickets will cost an extra $3 per person, on top of the ferry ticket price, which is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for children. Reservations for the crown were to have opened at 7 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday from Statue Cruises, the ferry concessionaire, online and by phone at (877) 523-9849. Reservations will be accepted up to a year in advance. For details, visit www.nps.gov/stli.

L.A. resort opens doors

Liberty outing

-- Jane Engle

Laps of luxury

Hyatt Resorts is making waves this year with an added emphasis on wet and wild fun at hotel water parks. The newest addition is Slyders, a $4-million water playground at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa. The park, which opened this spring, includes three water slides, fire pits, a wading pool, a cafe and bar, an oversized hot tub and cabanas equipped with TV and Internet. It is open to guests and locals, who may buy day passes. Adults $25 and children $15; (714) 698-1234, www.huntingtonbeach.hyatt.com.

-- Rosemary McClure

Shiny new pen

The folks at Zelco have come up with a new twist on the lighted pen, which lets you see what you’re writing in the dark. While most lighted pens have a battery-operated LED light behind the tip of the pen, so only the tip is illuminated, Zelco’s Multi-Task Light Pen has a tiny flexible gooseneck light attached to the top of the pen’s casing. That means you can direct the little lamp wherever you like -- toward the pen tip for writing or up at a book page or at something you’re fixing. The pen and light have independent controls, so you can use one or both. The light runs on three button batteries that are included. Multi-Task Light Pen is $10. Order at (800) 201-7575, www.amazon.com.

-- Judi Dash

Camp on high

Summer sports camps are a dime a dozen, but few offer a setting as striking as Squaw Valley. World Events offers a camp for basketball players in grades 3 through 12 from July 6 to 10 at the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. Campers will work on ball handling, footwork, coordination and injury prevention. High Altitude Basketball Camp is an all-inclusive camp with high-end accommodations, meals, 24-hour supervision and family packages. For those not sleeping over, prices start at $325. For overnight campers, the price is $625. Team rates available. Info: (800) 621-2945, www.highaltitudebball.com.

-- Chris Erskine