Best of the Decade UK Visitor Attractions

No one expected the London Eye to be more than a short-lived novelty. The 135 meter tall wheel on the South Bank of the Thames had a temporary licence and was meant to be dismantled after Millennium festivities were over.

Then something remarkable happened. Everyone fell in love with it - Londoners and visitors alike. Today, it is the most visited attraction in the UK and in no danger of being removed any time soon.

The tallest wheel in the world when built, it has been surpassed by others but remains the tallest wheel in Europe and the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in the world (It is supported on only one side, by an A-frame). A flight on it is wonderful and even standing beside it is humbling.

The National Parks in the UK protect some of the most spectacular and valued landscapes in England Scotland and Wales. It may surprise some visitors that National Parks in the UK also protect farms, villages and cultural heritage.

During "The Noughties", three regions of great natural beauty, with trails for hiking and cycling as well as other outdoor activities were given national park status. They include:

• Loch Lomond and The Trossachs - Rob Roy and Sir Walter Scott country with the largest freshwater body in the UK
• The Cairngorms - 1,467 square miles of wild, dramatic peaks in central Scotland
• The South Downs, England's chalk desert became a national park in 2009.

Imagine being an artist offered the chance to fill the turbine hall of an old power station - that's five storeys and 3,400 square meters (4,066 square yards), all by yourself. Since the Tate Modern, in London's former Bankside Power Station, opened in 2000, 10 sculptors have filled the hall, from October to April, with innovative, often stunning works.

Rachel Whiteread's "Embankment", pictured here, created a chilly and mysterious maze with 14,000 boxes. "Marsyas", by Anish Kapoor filled the entire space with a single PVC membrane stretched over three metal rings.

Britain's national gallery of international modern art from 1900 to now, is free and fun. Hop on Tate-to-Tate, the boat across the Thames, to see Turners at the Tate Britain.

No slave ever landed in Liverpool but many Liverpool fortunes were, nevertheless, linked to the slave trade. The building and repair of slave ships, the financing and insuring of slave trading operations and the dealings in slave produced goods such as cotton and sugar made rich men of many a Liverpool merchant.

In 2007, 200 years after of the abolition of the British slave trade, Liverpool's International Slavery Museum opened in Albert Dock, a UNESCO World Heritage site, just yards from the dry docks where 18th century slave ships were repaired and equipped.

The futuristic sculpture between the Forth & Clyde and Union canals at Falkirk in Scotland, isn't a new spaceport or a Sci-Fi set. It's the world's only rotating boat lift, bridging the 115 foot difference in levels between the two canals it links. The flight of 11 locks that once joined them closed in 1933. The Falkirk Wheel, opened by the Queen in 2002, has reopened navigation between the North Sea and the Atlantic across Central Scotland for the first time in 40 years.

Up to eight boats at a time rise to the height of eight double-decker buses. Visitors without boats can take a ride too and landlubbers can watch this stunning piece of engineering from a viewing platform. It cost more the £84 million and it's mega.

Even before the Romans arrived, Bath's ancient Celts worshipped their goddess Sul at a spring that gave rise to the Roman name of Bath, Aqua Sulis. From those ancient times visitors have been enjoying the relaxing and therapeutic value of these waters. At least 1 million liters per day rise from approximately 2 km underground at an average temperature of 113ºF.

In 2006, a multi-million pound, public facility opened, enabling visitors to immerse themselves in Britain's only natural hot springs - in a state-of-the-art spa center - for the first time in 28 years. Facilities include a fabulous, naturally heated, rooftop pool with views across historic Bath center.

Architect Daniel Libeskind's dramatic, steel skinned building beside the Manchester Ship Canal occupies a site flattened during the Manchester Blitz of WWII

Despite its martial name, this is no celebration of colonial conquest, British Empire and imperialism. Instead, its exhibitions are thoughtful considerations of the impact of modern warfare on societies and populations. Libeskind's design is composed of three interlocking, functional 'shards' meant to resemble a conflict shattered globe.

Three "Big Picture Shows" that introduce the museum experience, feature the thoughts, voices and experiences of those effected by major conflict. A surprisingly moving place to visit, perhaps it should be called the Imperial Peace Museum.

The Eden Project, near St. Austell, regenerated a disused Cornish China clay pit, filling it with, among other things, the world's largest greenhouse. It's actually composed of a number of geodesic domes that sprout like mushrooms from the man-made "valley". Each is a unique "biome" housing different plants from around the world.

Part a gardener's paradise, part an educational trust, The Eden Project sets out to explore the interconnected relationships between people, plants and planet. It's like nothing else you will encounter, anywhere in the world.

Little epitomises the revitalization of England's North as well as the Newcastle-Gateshead waterfront - on both sides of the Tyne. Industrial buildings have been totally reinvented while striking new architecture and an amazing pedestrian bridge have turned a once dingy industrial and dockside area into an exciting center for culture and nightlife.

Must visit attractions include:

• The Baltic - A 1950s dockside grain store transformed into one of Europe's biggest and best contemporary art spaces.
• The Sage A spectacular award winning building that's a center for music performance, learning and participation.
• The Gateshead Millennium Bridge A pedestrian and cycle bridge that tilts open (like a giant, opening eye) for river traffic.

Definitely a late bloomer, The O₂ rose from the ashes of the Millennium Dome, a huge, publicly funded failure. Barely finished in time for the Millennium, the Dome was controversial, expensive and pointless. It's creators had no idea what to put in it and when the first exhibition, opened, that aimlessness showed.

But there was no question that the building itself was a knockout. In 2008, after private investment of about £600 million, it reopened as the O₂, an enormous entertainment complex. Today, it combines large and small concert venues and sports facilities, exhibition space, a cinema, restaurants and bars. In 2009, at the Billboard Awards, it snatched the top music venue in the world title away from Madison Square Garden.