Daycation: Smicksburg offers a rural retreat 60 miles from Pittsburgh

Amish horse and buggies tied to hitching posts are a common sight in rural Smicksburg, PA.

Master fudgemaker Mary Lou Rolls makes a batch at The Country Cupboard.

Horse-drawn Amish wagons are a common sight along rural roads in Smicksburg.

Tasha Thomas of Harrison holds a pie she purchased at Country Junction Restaurant in Smicksburg. Thomas, 50, visits Smicksburg every fall to stock up on pies, Amish quilts and shop homemade Amish furniture.

Homemade signs advertise homemade goods and items by Amish families dot the sides of rural roads in Smicksburg.

An Amish one-room school house in Smicksburg. Amish children do not study past the eighth grade. Without electricity, schools utilize an outhouse on the grounds.

The Amish do not use electricity. Freshly washed clothes drying on a line is a common sight in rural Smicksburg.

The Country Cupboard of Smicksburg is located at 129 East Kittanning Street.

The Country Cupboard of Smicksburg makes the only homemade fudge in Smicksburg.

An Amish home in Smicksburg. Note the lack of electrical lines (Amish don’t use electricity) and white buildings.

Larry Bussard, president of the John G. Schmick Heritage Center in Smicksburg, inside the museum/shop near the original post office window that still stands.