by Lori Erickson
Worldwide, nearly 330 million people go on some sort of faith-based trip each year. Serene retreat centers, grand cathedrals and ancient healing shrines are just some of the places that attract a growing number of spirituality-minded travelers. Here are five destinations that welcome groups:
While the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., is officially Episcopal, it’s a house of prayer for all Americans. The soaring sacred space has hosted the funerals of many political leaders as well as televised memorial services after national tragedies. Its cornerstone was laid under the eye of Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, and its construction was completed in 1990 in the presence of George H.W. Bush. Neo-Gothic in design, it also includes some crowd-pleasing contemporary touches, including a lunar rock imbedded in a stained glass Space Window and a Darth Vader image on one its grotesques (an architectural detail similar to a gargoyle). In addition to services, the cathedral hosts many special events, concerts and programs appropriate for groups. www.cathedral.org
In Charlotte, N.C., the Billy Graham Library tells the story of the remarkable life of the beloved evangelist, who died in February at the age of 99. Its 20-acre grounds include Graham’s 1927 childhood home and a library built in the shape of a barn (a nod to his upbringing on a dairy farm). Multi-media exhibits in the library trace Graham’s life, worldwide travels and influence, which included preaching to an estimated 215 million people. Groups can also enjoy ice cream treats and food at the Graham Brothers Dairy Bar. www.billygrahamlibrary.org
Built in 1816, the modest adobe church known as El Santuario de Chimayó is sometimes called the Lourdes of America because of all the people who come here seeking healing. Located in a village in northern New Mexico., it has crutches, photographs and other tokens left by those who give the shrine credit for cures. Outside, beautiful gardens provide places for contemplation, while a visitor center educates groups on the shrine’s history and appeal for the many thousands of pilgrims who journey here each year. www.holychimayo.us
In Kentucky, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill provides a window into one of America’s most intriguing religious experiments: the communal society known as the Shakers, which flourished in the nineteenth-century. Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is the largest historic site associated with this religious group that was an offshoot of the Quakers. Founded in 1805, it once encompassed 4,500 acres and had nearly 500 members. Today it’s a private nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the Shakers’ unique history, with 3,000 acres and 34 original buildings. Thanks to its period architecture, picturesque fences made of stacked stones, and tranquil atmosphere, it is still a spiritual haven. Groups can visit for a day or stay overnight in one of the historic buildings. Activities include farm-to-table dining, paddlewheeler cruises on the nearby Kentucky River, horse-drawn wagon rides and programs on topics ranging from beekeeping to Shaker music. www.shakervillageky.org
For spiritual-but-not-religious groups, the Omega Institute in the beautiful Hudson River Valley of New York offers nearly 400 workshops on many topics related to personal growth and social change. Founded in 1977, its 250-acre campus has hosted presentations by many of the world’s leading spiritual teachers and social visionaries, from Jane Goodall to Deepak Chopra. Groups can also arrange tours of the Omega Center for Sustainable Living, an environmental education center and natural water reclamation facility that’s one of the greenest buildings in America. Learn how all of Omega’s wastewater is treated here with zero chemicals and net zero energy—proving that spirituality can have a practical side as well. www.eomega.org
For more information, contact the Faith Travel Association (which is part of the National Tour Association) at www.ntaonline.com/markets/faith-travel-association.
Lori Erickson is a writer specializing in spiritual travels and the author of Holy Rover: Journeys in Search of Mystery, Miracles, and God (Fortress Press, 2017).
