Faith Tours USA: Notable Pilgrimage Destinations

Christianity has been in the United States since its beginnings. In fact, it was the strongest influence on the founding fathers as they worked to sculpt the government of the young nation. Christianity has a rich heritage in this country and there are many different sites you can visit which point to this faith.

 If you want to make a spiritual journey and pilgrimage, there’s no need to go to Europe or the Holy Land. Religious sites of interest are scattered around the country that tells visitors and pilgrims parts of the deep Christian heritage that shaped the nation. From churches, museums, and even theme parks, there are many places to visit if you want to learn the history of the faith in the US and deepen your spirituality in the process. Here are some noteworthy places to visit if you want to go on a Christian faith heritage tour in the United States.

The National Cathedral

The National Cathedral in Washington DC is the crossroad of the secular and religious life in the nation’s capital. The cathedral run by the Protestant Episcopal Church is notable for its Neo-Gothic style closely modeled on the English Gothic style of the late fourteenth century. It is also recognized as the third-largest church building in the United States and is the fourth tallest structure in Washington DC. Its facade is somehow similar to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Some of its notable interior features are the pulpit carved from stones of the Canterbury Cathedral, the high altar called the Jerusalem Altar made from stones from Solomon’s Quarry in Israel, the floor directly in front of the altar made from stones from the Chapel of Moses in Mt. Sinai, a stained-glass window depicting the Moon landing of Apollo 11 with an actual moonstone set in the center, and all the state flags hanging from the ceiling.

Museum of the Bible

Opened in 2017 in Washington DC, this nonsectarian, privately-owned institution honors and celebrates the Holy Scripture, its history, and its impact on society. Visitors are taken back to Biblical history through displays and exhibits of the museum’s permanent and loaned collection including numerous artifacts from the Holy Land and the Middle East dating back to Biblical times from Abraham to the New Testament and the early Christian churches. The rooftop features a great view of the National Mall and the U.S Capitol. Future planned exhibits include biblical papyri, Torah scrolls, rare printed Bibles, Jewish artifacts, and contemporary treasures of Christian and Jewish culture. The museum is continuously coordinating with private collectors and the Israel Antiquities Authority to expand its vast collection on Biblical archaeology and history.

Mother Seton House & Historic Seminary Chapel

This historic area in Baltimore, Maryland, is a place of many firsts for the Catholic Christians of the United States. The Mother Seton House, a historic home located on the grounds of the St. Mary’s Seminary, is the home of the first American Catholic saint, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The seminary itself is the first seminary established in the country after the American Revolution. The chapel of the seminary, the oldest neo-Gothic church in the United States. It is also recognized as the home of the first African American Catholic congregation in the country. 

Holy Land Experience

The Holy Land Experience is a Christian theme park located in Orlando, Florida that lets guests travel 7,000 miles away and 2,000 years back in time to 1st-century Israel without needing to leave the United States. The park contains buildings and attractions reflecting the architecture, culture, and terrain of ancient Jerusalem and surrounding areas. The Holy Land Experience Scriptorium features the Van Kampen Collection, a vast amalgamation of ancient scrolls, manuscripts, and early printed editions of the Bible. The park also features a recreation of places of biblical significance such as the Garden Tomb, Qumran Dead Sea Caves, Great Temple and Plaza, and Wilderness Tabernacle.

Wycliffe Discovery Center

The Wycliffe Discovery Center in Orlando, Florida is a unique community center and institution named after John Wycliffe, a fourteenth-century Englishman who translated the Bible from Latin to Middle English. This center lets visitors explore and experience the world of languages, cultures, and the Holy Scripture in a unique way through multimedia presentations, computer games and simulations, and interactive hands-on activities. The Wycliffe Discovery Center’s exhibits’ main focus is its journey towards its goal of translating the Bible to every language and have the Word reach every culture in the world.

Capernaum Village

Located in Weatherford Texas, the Capernaum Village and Studios is a theme park and filming location that recreates some familiar places in the Bible including a first-century Jewish village with several one-story and multi-story stone houses, a replica of the Garden Tomb where Jesus was buried, a statue garden with sculptures depicting scenes from the Bible, and an Apocalypse Village which gives visitors a glimpse of what could happen at the end of times. This is a working film set, so sometimes the place is rented by film crews. The village also hosts special events during holidays like Easter and Christmas where guests can have an authentic first-century Biblical experience.

Creation Museum

Start your spiritual journey from the beginning and travel back through Biblical history to the time of creation. The Creation Museum is a one-of-a-kind destination located in Petersburg, Kentucky that explores the book of Genesis and explains how the world, and its inhabitants, came into existence. The museum narrates the story of creation, fall of men, and salvation through Jesus in a fun and interactive way through a walkthrough Garden of Eden, animatronic dinosaurs, fossil displays, colorful mural, and audio-visual guides. The museum also has a 4D experience theatre that shows films on the creation of the universe based on Biblical accounts. The rumbling of seats, spray mist, and scents together with the sights and sounds add an extraordinary flair to the visitors’ experience.

Ark Encounter

Nearby the Creation Museum is its twin institution, the Ark Encounter in Grant County, Kentucky. Going to an Ark Encounter Tour takes visitors farther on their Biblical history journey to the time of Noah and the Great Flood. The centerpiece of this unique theme park is a life-sized, accurately-measured representation of the Biblical ark. The ark is recognized as the largest timber frame structure in the United States. The museum is divided into three decks with exhibits depicting the sins of the world that caused God’s wrath, the life of Noah and his family inside the ark, the animals that were probably aboard the ark during the Great Flood, and many others. Outside the Ark, a petting zoo is located for visitors to interact with live animals. 

These are just a few of the Christian Historical Sites and Attractions you can find in the USA. There are many others, but these are some that you may want to visit. 

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