Taylor County, Florida
Perry
A working forest town that kept its festival for seventy years.
Perry is known as the Tree Capital of the South, the identity its annual Florida Forest Festival exists to celebrate.
What this place is
Why Perry is here
Perry was incorporated in 1903 and is the county seat of Taylor County.
Timber has been Taylor County's main economic driver. The Florida Forest Festival began in 1956 as the Pine Tree Festival, created to teach forestry heritage and fire safety at a time when forest fires were crippling the county's timber industry.
Worth the trip
What to look for
- 01
Forest Capital Museum State Park, a 13-acre park one mile south of Perry on US 19/US 98, holds displays on the history of the forest industry and the wildlife of the forest.
- 02
A reconstructed Cracker homestead stands beside the museum - house, barn, well, arbor and garden - showing how a Florida homestead family lived.
Time your visit
The weekend that matters
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October
Florida Forest Festival
Running since 1956
Perry's defining weekend, running since 1956 when it began as the Pine Tree Festival. The King Tree Parade rolls down Jefferson Street on the Saturday morning, and the World's Largest Free Fish Fry is served at Forest Capital Park from noon, alongside chainsaw and cross-cut competitions, the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show and the Great Race 5K.
Hotels, inns, rentals and campgrounds
Where to Stay
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Campgrounds
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Royal Inn Motel
Hotels
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Hotels
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Hotels
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Campgrounds
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Campgrounds
Restaurants, seafood, cafes and bars
Where to Eat
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Restaurants · $
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Restaurants · $
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Seafood · $
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Cafes Bakeries · $
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Restaurants · $
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Restaurants · $
Parks, beaches, museums, tours and charters
Things to Do
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Parks Nature
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Parks Nature · $$
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Parks Nature
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Spin City USA
Attractions
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Parks Nature
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Parks Nature
Perry on the record
Pictures of the place
Archive and Creative Commons photographs of Perry. Nothing here is generated; every image is credited to the person who took it.
74 guides, written from this town’s own record
Guides
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The Best Things to Do in Perry, Florida
Perry doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is: a working forest town, the seat of Taylor County, and the place that has thrown the same festival for nearly seventy years. Incorporated in 1903, settled first as Rosehead, then renamed Perrytown after Florida’s fourth governor, it has always been timber country. The pines paid for the schools and the stores. They still do.
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The Best Restaurants in Perry, Florida
Perry doesn’t do food trends. It does dependable, filling, and familiar — the kind of places where the parking lot fills up at noon and the coffee is always on. This is a working timber town of about 7,000 people, and its restaurant scene reflects that: a few local standbys, a handful of chains that know their job, and one oyster house that draws people from counties away.
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Where to Stay in Perry: Hotels, Inns and Rentals
For a town of fewer than seven thousand people, Perry has more places to sleep than you might expect. That is because this is a working town, a county seat, and the crossroads of US 19 and US 98. People come through for timber, for the state park, and for the festival. You will be here for the same reasons. Here is where to lay your head.
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Perry, Florida Weekend Guide: What to See, Eat & Do
A working forest town that kept its festival for seventy years.
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Perry FL Travel Guide: What to Know Before You Go
Perry is a working timber town of 6,965 people. Its one big weekend—the Florida Forest Festival—is worth planning around, as long as you know what you're getting into.
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The Best Time of Year to Visit Perry
The honest answer is late October, when the Florida Forest Festival takes over the town. But the fuller answer is that Perry has a season, and it is not the one tourists usually mean.
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Perry or Steinhatchee: Which Florida Town to Visit
Perry is the working forest town that throws a festival for its own reason, and Steinhatchee is the fishing village that throws one for the season. Both sit within a half-hour of each other in Taylor County, but they answer different questions.
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The History of Perry in 7 Landmarks
Perry is not a town that happened by accident; it is a town that was built, named, and re-named by the forces of timber, politics, and a stubborn sense of place. Here is that history, told through seven landmarks that still anchor the community.
Public record
Perry by the numbers
- 6,965Residents (2023)
- 0% Homes held for seasonal use
- 113 Places in this guide