Our story
About Caryville
Howdy, and welcome
A small town with a big welcome
Caryville is a small, rural town of about 290 residents, and we are proud to call it the worm fiddlin' capital of the world. Our town sits along the Choctawhatchee River in the Florida Panhandle, where folks know their neighbors and look out for one another.
This website is here so you can pay your bills, find the forms you need, and keep up with town news without a trip to Town Hall. When you do want to stop in, we would love to see you.
Residents
About 290
Known as
Worm Fiddlin' Capital of the World
Town Hall hours
Mon to Thu, 9 to 1
Council meets
2nd Tuesday, 6 PM
Where we came from
A little history
1871
A settlement begins
Caryville was first settled along the Choctawhatchee River under the name Half Moon Bluff.
1884
A new name
The settlement was renamed Caryville in honor of R.M. Cary, a stockholder and official of the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad. The rail connection helped the young town take root.
1913
Officially a town
Caryville was officially incorporated as a town, a decade after becoming the first community in Washington County to have electric lights in 1903.
1965
Back on the books
The town's charter lapsed in the late 1930s and early 1940s after falling out of use. Caryville was reincorporated in 1965 and has operated under that charter ever since.
1994
Facing the flood
The Choctawhatchee River flooded to a record 29 feet in July 1994, submerging most of Caryville. The town carried on.
Today
A tradition worth celebrating
The Caryville Worm Fiddlin' Festival brings contestants out with wooden stakes to create vibrations in the ground, coaxing earthworms to the surface in a friendly competition. Visitors come from several counties and other states, and the festival has become one of Caryville's most beloved traditions, drawing former residents back home.
Yes, it's a real thing
What in the world is worm fiddlin'?
Caryville is also home to one of Florida’s more unusual traditions: worm fiddlin’. The Caryville Worm-Fiddlin’ Festival draws visitors from several counties and even other states each year, where contestants rub wooden stakes together to create vibrations that drive earthworms up out of the ground. The festival has had its ups and downs over the years but keeps coming back, giving folks who grew up in Caryville a reason to come home and giving everyone else a reason to visit.
Yes, it's a real thing
What in the world is worm fiddlin'?
Caryville is also home to one of Florida’s more unusual traditions: worm fiddlin’. The Caryville Worm-Fiddlin’ Festival draws visitors from several counties and even other states each year, where contestants rub wooden stakes together to create vibrations that drive earthworms up out of the ground. The festival has had its ups and downs over the years but keeps coming back, giving folks who grew up in Caryville a reason to come home and giving everyone else a reason to visit.
Around town
Photo gallery
Come say hello
Town Hall is at 4436 Old Spanish Trail, open Monday to Thursday, 9 AM to 4 PM.
