Ever since they began to rise in the late 1800s, people have been fascinated by skyscrapers.
While the thrill of seeing our cities from above has never faded, as tall buildings have
proliferated and as competition for tourism has increased, several skyscrapers have introduced
attractions that take visitors to new heights.
Here, we’ve travelled from East to West and tracked down the most adrenaline-inducing
experiences topping some of the world’s tallest structures.
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We begin our journey in Melbourne at the observation deck of the Eureka Tower, the highest viewing
platform in the Southern Hemisphere.
Located nearly 300 metres above the city, the skydeck provides an unparalleled perspective
of Melbourne and beyond, with views of up to 75 kilometres in every direction.
For those daring enough, the skydeck offers the "Edge Experience".
Stepping into an opaque glass box, guests are extended six metres beyond the building
before the glass “shatters” and becomes clear, revealing a 285 metre sheer drop below.
Despite being deliberately vertigo-inducing, the Edge has become a favourite spot for locals
to propose - you can even reserve it for the occasion.
China’s 604 metre Canton Tower offers not one but two heart-racing experiences.
Laying claim to the world's highest Ferris wheel, passengers can take an inclined journey
around the edge of the tower's summit, some 451 metres above the ground.
If that weren't enough, the most daring of us are able to ride the world’s highest
amusement ride, aptly named the Sky Drop.
Raising up the tower's mast to a height of 485 metres above street level, the ride proceeds
to drop visitors 31 metres back down to the roof of the tower.
Heading to the birthplace of the skyscraper, Chicago's iconic John Hancock Centre - now
known as 875 North Michigan Drive - has been retrofitted with the dramatic "TILT experience".
After seeing the popularity of the nearby Willis Tower's glass ledge, the building’s
new owners first installed the TILT in 2014.
The attraction consists of a series of floor-to-ceiling windows that slowly pivot 30 degrees outside
of the observation deck.
The experience allows visitors to feel like they're precariously straddling the edge of
the skyscraper, 310 metres above the city below.
Never one to be outdone for thrills, the Stratosphere in Las Vegas offers multiple hair raising experiences.
The Big Shot takes visitors to a height of 329 metres, before dropping them 49 metres
to the observation deck below - it used to be the highest amusement ride in the world
until it was surpassed by those on China’s Canton Tower.
Insanity dangles visitors over the edge of the structure before spinning them around
at speeds that reach 64 kilometers an hour while the “X-Scream” see-saws passengers
back-and-forth over the edge of the tower.
If that's not enough, the Stratosphere also features the highest sky jump in the world
where visitors can leap from a 260 metre high platform and fall to a landing pad below.
Finally, at the far west of our journey, we come to the iconic US Bank Tower in Los Angeles
- completed in 1989 and built to withstand earthquakes measuring up to 8.3 on the Richter Scale.
In 2014, the tower was fitted with a completely transparent glass slide that curls around
the outside of the structure from its 70th to 69th floors, some 300 metres above Downtown LA.
The slide formed part of a USD $31 million reconstruction of the tower's top floors that
also saw the addition of a publicly accessible observation deck.
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