Welcome to The Complete American Pilgrim, a guide to the 100 Greatest Religious Sites in the United States. These places, chosen for their religious, historic and architectural importance, encompass centuries of the American religious experience. Come explore churches, synagogues, museums and other amazing pilgrimage destinations, from the historic Puritan sites of New England to the magnificent Missions of California, and everything in between. Discover what hidden treasures of faith may be found in your own neighborhood.
Protestant Sites – Reformed
- Puritan Heritage Sites of Plymouth || Plymouth, MA || Oldest Protestant Sites in America
- Old Ship Church || Hingham, MA || Oldest Church in Continuous Use in America
- Old Dutch Church || Sleepy Hollow, NY || Oldest Reformed Church in America
- Marble Collegiate Church || New York, NY || Home Church of N.V. Peale
- Fairfield Presbyterian Church || Fairton, NJ || Oldest Presbyterian Church in America
- Princeton Cemetery || Princeton, NJ || Gravesites of J. Witherspoon & J. Edwards
Protestant Sites – Methodist
- Christ Church || Savannah, GA || Church of J. Wesley & G. Whitefield
- Barratt’s Chapel || Frederica, DE || Oldest Methodist Church in America
- St. George’s United Methodist Church || Philadelphia, PA || Oldest Methodist Congregation
- Mount Olivet Cemetery || Baltimore, MD || Gravesites of F. Asbury & J. Emory
Protestant Sites – Other Traditional
- First Baptist Meeting House || Providence, RI || Oldest Baptist Church in America
- Third Haven Meeting House || Talbot, MD || Oldest Quaker Meeting House in America
- Old Indian Meeting House || Mashpee, MA || Oldest Native American Church in America
- Holy Trinity Church || Wilmington, DE || Oldest Lutheran Church in America
- Amish Heritage Sites of Pennsylvania || Lancaster, PA || Heartland of American Anabaptists
- Ebenezer Baptist Church || Atlanta, GA || Home Church of M.L. King
- 16th Street Baptist Church || Birmingham, AL || Site of the 1963 Church Bombing
- Riverside Church || New York, NY || Tallest Church in America
Protestant Sites – Other Modern
- Evangelical Sites of Nashville || Nashville, TN || Southern Baptist Convention HQ
- Evangelical Sites of Oklahoma || Tulsa & Edmond, OK || Oral Roberts University, etc.
- Megachurches of Houston || Houston, TX || Lakewood Church, etc.
- Megachurches of Atlanta || Atlanta, GA || North Point Community Church, etc.
- African Megachurches of Los Angeles || Los Angeles, CA || First AME Church, etc.
Episcopal Sites
- Church of St. Luke || Smithfield, VA || Oldest Protestant Church in America
- Christ Church || Philadelphia, PA || Church of the Founding Fathers
- Old North Church || Boston, MA || Church of the Battle of Lexington & Concord
- Historic Episcopal Churches of New York || New York, NY || Trinity Church, etc.
- St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral || Memphis, TN || Church of the Martyr Constance
- Washington National Cathedral || Washington, DC || State Church of the Capital
Roman Catholic Sites
- Cathedral of San Juan Bautista || San Juan, PR || Oldest Church on American Soil
- San Miguel Mission || Santa Fe, NM || Oldest Church in the Fifty States
- Alamo Mission || San Antonio, TX || Site of the Battle of the Alamo
- Historic Missions of California || Santa Barbara & Monterrey, CA || Mission Carmel, etc.
- Cathedral of San Fernando || San Antonio, TX || Oldest Catholic Cathedral in America
- Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine || St. Augustine, FL || Oldest Catholic Parish in America
- Cathedral of St. Louis || New Orleans, LA || Oldest Cathedral in Continuous Operation
- Basilica of the Sacred Heart || Notre Dame, IN || Mother Church of the Holy Cross
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral || New York, NY || Most Visited Church in the United States
- Historic Churches of Boston || Boston, MA || Cathedral of the Holy Cross, etc.
- Historic Basilicas of Chicago || Chicago, IL || Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows, etc.
- Twin Cathedrals of Minneapolis-St. Paul || Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN || Oldest Basilica, etc.
- National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception || Washington, DC || Largest Catholic Church
- Modern Cathedrals of California || Several Locations*, CA || Crystal Cathedral, etc.
Roman Catholic Sites – Saint Shrines
- Shrine of St. Philippine Duchesne || St. Charles, MO
- National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton || Emitsburg, MD
- National Shrine of St. Mother Theodore Guerin || St. Mary-In-The-Woods, IN
- National Shrine of St. John Neumann || Philadelphia, PA
- Shrine of St. Frances Cabrini || New York, NY
- St. Katharine Drexel Mission Center and Shrine || Bensalem, PA
- Shrine of Father Damien || Molokai, HI
Eastern Orthodox Sites
- Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church || Kenai, AK || Oldest Russian Orthodox Church
- Greek Orthodox Heritage Sites || Several Locations*, FL || St. Nicholas Church, etc.
- Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity || New York, NY || National Orthodox Cathedral
- Antiochian Village Camp || Ligonier, PA || Gravesite of Father Raphael
- Holy Virgin Cathedral || San Francsico, CA || Largest Orthodox Cathedral on West Coast
Other Christian Sites
- St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church || Jersey City, NJ || Oldest Coptic Church in America
- Armenian Orthodox Heritage Sites || Fresno, CA || Holy Trinity Church, etc.
- Assyrian Orthodox Patriarchate || Chicago, IL || World HQ of Assyrian Orthodox Church
- Temple Square || Salt Lake City, UT || World HQ of Church of Latter Day Saints
- Mormon Heritage Sites of Illinois || Nauvoo, IL || Early Mormon Historic District
Jewish Sites
- Touro Synagogue || Newport, RI || Oldest Synagogue in America
- Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue || Charleston, SC || Second Oldest Synagogue in America
- Mikveh Israel Cemetery || Philadelphia, PA || Gravesites of Jewish Revolutionary Soldiers
- Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue || New York, NY || Oldest Jewish Congregation in America
- Temple Emanuel || New York, NY || Formerly Largest Synagogue in the World
- Historic Synagogues of New York || New York, NY || Central Synagogue, etc.
- Jewish Heritage Sites of Brooklyn || Brooklyn, NY || World HQ of Chabad Lubavitch
- Historic Congregations of San Francisco || San Francisco, CA || Congregation Shearith Israel, etc.
- Jewish Heritage Sites of Cincinnati || Cincinnati, OH || Isaac M. Wise Temple, etc.
Asian Religious Sites
- Ganesha Temple || Flushing, NY || Oldest Hindu Temple in America
- Malibu Hindu Temple || Calabasas, CA || Largest Hindu Temple in America
- Hsi Lai Temple || Hacienda Heights, CA|| Oldest Buddhist Temple in America
- Historic Shinto Shrines of Honolulu || Honolulu, HI || Izumo Taishakyo Mission, etc.
Native American Religious Sites
- Cahokia Mounds || Collinsville, IL || Ruins of Largest Pre-Columbian City in America
- Thunderhead Mountain || Hill City, SD || Crazy Horse Monument
- Bighorn Medicine Wheel || Lovell, WY || Most Intact Pre-Columbian Sacred Site
Religious Seminaries and Museums
- Schools of the Boston Theological Institute || Boston, MA
- Shaker Village Museum || Canterbury, NH
- Lutheran Museums || St. Louis, MO
- Christian Heritage Museum || Hagerstown, MD
- American Bible Society & Museum of Biblical Art || New York, NY
- Salvation Army Museums || Several Locations*
- Billy Graham Library || Charlotte, NC
- Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery || Greenville, SC
- Jewish Theological Seminary Library || New York, NY
- Jewish Museum of New York || New York, NY
- Simon Wiesenthal Center & Museum of Tolerance || Los Angeles, CA
Odds and Ends
- Churches of Frank Lloyd Wright || Several Locations*
- Headquarters of the Knights of Columbus || New Haven, CT
- Boys Town || Boys Town, NE
- Central House Hotel || Boscobel, WI
- YMCA Heritage Sites of Buffalo || Buffalo, NY
- Wedding Chapels of Las Vegas || Las Vegas, NV
- Holy Land Experience || Orlando, FL
- Great Passion Play || Eureka Springs, AR
- Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant || Mesa, AZ
- Mardi Gras of Cajun Country || Several Locations*, LA
- Festival of Faiths || Louisville, KY
