New Roads, Lake Charles & Alexandria, Louisiana Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the mother of all religious celebrations (religious in the theoretical sense). Better known as Carnival, which refers to the entire week of celebrations, Mardi Gras began in ancient times as a prepatory feast for the Lenten season. But in the modern era, especially in the United States … [Read more...]
GREAT PASSION PLAY
Eureka Springs, Arkansas Eureka Springs, Arkansas is home to a number of interesting Christian sites, largely a legacy of Gerald Smith. A prominent if controversial figure, Smith turned Eureka Springs into something of a religious vacation destination. Here he established a center with everything from a Bible Museum to the largest statue of Christ in the United States. … [Read more...]
HOLY LAND EXPERIENCE
Orlando, Florida The Holy Land Experience, located in the midst of Orlando’s theme-park belt, is a living museum of sorts dedicated to recreating life in Jerusalem as it might have been during the late Second Temple period. Although it has been criticized for ‘Disney’-fying Christianity and the life of Christ, it nevertheless offers a fascinating and unique window into the … [Read more...]
BOB JONES UNIVERSITY MUSEUM AND GALLERY
Greenville, South Carolina Bob Jones University is one of the best known Christian colleges in the South. Among other things it is home to a hidden gem, the BJU Museum and Gallery, which houses an excellent collection of religious artwork and books. Although also a secular art museum, it is famous for its variety of religious exhibits which include antique Bibles, Orthodox … [Read more...]
BILLY GRAHAM LIBRARY
Charlotte, North Carolina Billy Graham, among the most famous and influential Protestant ministers in recent history, has made a major and lasting impact on modern-day Christianity in America. Nowhere is this more strongly felt than in Charlotte, North Carolina, Graham’s hometown, and the site of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The association, which was formed … [Read more...]
SALVATION ARMY MUSEUMS
West Nyack, New York; Des Plaines, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Rancho Palos Verdes, California The Salvation Army is arguably the most famous of all Protestant missionary organizations. Founded by William Booth in London in the 1860s, it made its way across the Atlantic in 1880, where it has since become the largest charitable institution in the United States. Hundreds of … [Read more...]
KAHAL KADOSH BETH ELOHIM SYNAGOGUE
Charleston, South Carolina Because it has been overshadowed by New York City for so long, it is almost a forgotten fact that it was Charleston, South Carolina, and not New York, that was home to the dominant Jewish community in America throughout the Colonial and Antebellum periods. While the first Jewish immigrants from Brazil instinctively made their way to other Dutch … [Read more...]
GREEK ORTHODOX HERITAGE SITES
St. Augustine & Tarpon Springs, Florida While the Eastern Orthodox Church got its toehold in North America by the Russians in Alaska, the first Greek Orthodox colonies in America, and the first Eastern Orthodox on the East Coast, appeared in Florida in the 18th century. Some of the most important Greek Orthodox historic sites in the United States can be found in North … [Read more...]
CATHEDRAL OF ST. LOUIS
New Orleans, Louisiana The Cathedral of St. Louis is the religious centerpiece of New Orleans. Although not the oldest cathedral in the United States, it is the oldest not constructed by the Spanish and is also the oldest in continuous operation, having been active since the 18th century. It is also one of the few Catholic churches in America to have been visited by a … [Read more...]
CATHEDRAL BASILICA OF ST. AUGUSTINE
St. Augustine, Florida The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine enjoys an odd place in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in America. While not the oldest cathedral in the United States, it is by far the oldest cathedral site in the United States. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Spanish Empire tried numerous times to build a permament cathedral on the site, but … [Read more...]