The best camping near Touro Synagogue National Historic Site

Marvel at this beautifully preserved house of worship in Newport, Rhode Island. It's the oldest synagogue building in North America. Dedicated in 1763, the Touro Synagogue, or Congregation Jeshuat Israel, continues to serve as a thriving congregation.

One of the most historically significant Jewish buildings in America is also the only surviving colonial synagogue in the U.S. It's considered one of the 10 most architecturally distinguished buildings of 18th century America.

The synagogue faces east, toward Jerusalem. The interior is flanked by 12 Ionic columns to represent the 12 tribes of ancient Israel. Each column is carved from a single tree. Newport artist Benjamin Howland painted a mural depicting the Ten Commandments in Hebrew that hangs above the Torah ark.

Start your visit with a stop in the Loeb Visitors Center on site. You'll learn the history of the congregation that was founded in 1658. They were descendants of Jewish families who fled the Inquisitions in Spain and Portugal. In 1790, President George Washington penned his famous letter to the "Hebrew congregation at Newport." In it, he pledged that America would give "to bigotry no sanction and to persecution no assistance."

You can pay a moderate fee to tour the exquisite synagogue when it's not operating as a house of worship. The grandeur of the building and the historic significance make this national site well worth your time.