The Merlin Entertainments London Eye on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, England (photo by Kenn Stearns)

The London Eye is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom. Each year more than three million people pay around $30/each to book “flights” in one of the 32 air-conditioned sealed capsules. The wheel is 443 feet high, weighs just under 2,000 tons,  rotates at 0.6 mph, and completes one revolution in about 30 minutes. The attraction was formally opened by Prime Minister Tony Blair on December 31, 1999. Initially planned for a five-year run, the attraction is now permanent. The Tussauds Group bought the wheel in 2008 from joint owners British Airways and the Marks Barfield family (lead architects).