About 45 minutes south of Tara sit two of the best small towns near Pittsburgh that most people driving up from the city have never heard of: Volant and New Wilmington. They’re five minutes apart, connected by a real covered bridge, and together they make one of the easiest, best-paced day trips in this part of Pennsylvania. Here’s how to do it in a day.
What to Know Before You Go
- Total loop from Tara: roughly 1.5 hours of driving, round trip
- Distance between Volant and New Wilmington: about 5 minutes
- Distance from Pittsburgh: New Wilmington sits about 60 miles north of the city, making this a realistic day trip from either direction
- Best season: fall, for foliage on the drive between towns, though the shops and bakeries run year-round
Stop 1: Volant, PA
Volant grew up around Volant Mills, a grist mill built in 1812 on the Neshannock Creek that today houses the anchor cluster of shops the whole town is known for. Locals have compared it to a real-life Mayberry, and it’s not far off: a walkable Main Street, a genuine old mill building, and Amish-run stores mixed in with the antique shops and boutiques.
Plan on an hour or two here, more if you want to work through the shops properly. For a first visit, the mill building itself and the handful of Amish-owned shops nearby are the two things worth prioritizing if your time is short.
Stop 2: Bank’s Covered Bridge
Between Volant and New Wilmington sits Bank’s Covered Bridge, a 121-foot Burr arch truss bridge built in 1889 over the Neshannock Creek. It’s one of only two covered bridges left standing in Lawrence County (the other is at McConnell’s Mill), and it’s a distinctive one: painted white inside and out, unlike most covered bridges in Pennsylvania. There’s parking on both sides, and it’s an easy five-minute stop for photos on the way between towns.
Stop 3: New Wilmington, PA
New Wilmington is home to Westminster College, and the campus gives the whole town a little more energy than its size would suggest, with coffee shops, a creperie, and a town square built around Tavern on the Square. It’s also the center of Pennsylvania’s second-largest Amish settlement, with roughly 2,500 residents across New Wilmington, Volant, and New Castle. The surrounding backroads are where that’s most visible. There, you’ll find horse-drawn buggies, working farms, and small Amish-run stores selling goods made for their own community rather than for tourists.
If you want a guided introduction rather than driving the backroads yourself, Simple Life Amish Tours runs guided trips through the area, with the meeting point at an Amish-owned quilt shop in Volant. For a shorter stop, the Apple Castle on Route 18 is a good roadside pull-off for cider and produce, and it’s an easy point to turn back toward Tara from.
For a day trip, an hour or two exploring the town center and a short drive through the surrounding farmland is enough to get a real feel for the place.
Why Tara Is the Right Home Base for This Trip
A day trip like this one is better with somewhere good to come back to, and that’s really the case for making Tara your home base rather than just passing through. You’ll spend the day walking Volant’s Main Street, stopping at a 137-year-old covered bridge, and driving New Wilmington’s backroads, and by early evening you’ll want two things: dinner, and a room that isn’t a highway hotel.
Tara covers both. Stonewall’s Tavern is open for dinner most nights, so there’s no need to plan a separate stop on the drive back, and Ashley’s Fine Dining Room is there for a more polished night out if that’s the occasion. Upstairs, the rooms lean into the same thing that makes the drive worth taking in the first place: an 1854 Greek Revival mansion with jetted tubs, gas fireplaces, and grounds that look out over the Shenango River, a real change of scenery from the roadside motels that cluster near most day-trip destinations like this one.
It also just makes the logistics easier. Volant and New Wilmington sit close enough to Tara that you’re not burning half a tank of gas to get there and back, which means more of the day is actually spent in the towns instead of in the car. And if you’re building a longer weekend rather than a single day, Tara puts you within range of the rest of Mercer County’s day trips too, so this loop can be one piece of a bigger trip rather than the whole reason you came.
Prefer a day on the water instead of Main Street shopping? Pymatuning State Park is another easy day trip from Tara, and just as workable in an afternoon.
Book your stay at Tara and add the Volant-New Wilmington loop to your itinerary.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Volant from New Wilmington?
About five minutes by car. They’re close enough that visiting both in one day, with time to spare, is easy.
How far is this day trip from Pittsburgh?
New Wilmington is roughly 60 miles north of Pittsburgh, and Volant is just a few minutes further, making this a realistic day trip whether you’re coming from the city or staying at Tara.
Is there an actual covered bridge on this route?
Yes. Bank’s Covered Bridge sits almost directly between the two towns, built in 1889, and it’s one of just two covered bridges remaining in Lawrence County.
Is this a good trip for fall foliage?
Yes, the drive between Volant and New Wilmington runs through farmland and creek-side trees that color well in October, which is also when both towns are least crowded compared to summer weekends.
Do I need a full weekend, or is this a one-day trip?
One day is enough to see both towns and the bridge at a comfortable pace. Staying overnight at Tara just means you’re not driving both directions in the same afternoon.