Good neighbors
Friends of the Farm
Nobody keeps Tom Petty's story alone. These are the fan sites, podcasts and Gainesville neighbors we read, listen to and send people to. None of them are official, and none are paid listings.
Fan sites and podcasts
The Petty Archives
thepettyarchives.com
Decades of Tom Petty press, typed up and searchable: magazine and newspaper stories from the 1970s on, interviews, fan club newsletters and a tour history. The first place we look when a date or a quote needs checking.
Tom Petty Trail
tompettytrail.com
A map of nearly 200 Florida places in the Petty story, from the old Mudcrutch Farm to the Rathskeller and the Lake City bar gigs. Built by a retired journalism professor, and still growing.
The Tom Petty Project
tompettyproject.com
A weekly fan podcast that works through the catalog song by song and album by album, with musicians, fans and people who knew Tom as guests.
In Gainesville
Tom Petty Weekend
tompettyweekend.com
Gainesville's yearly three-day Petty celebration at Heartwood Soundstage: tribute and guest bands, a murals tour and a picnic in Tom Petty Park. The 2026 edition is November 13–15.
Visit Gainesville: Tom Petty
visitgainesville.com
The county's guide for fans coming to town: the murals, Tom Petty Park, Tom Petty Weekend and the hometown stops worth the drive.
Cade Museum: Tom Petty in Gainesville
cademuseum.org
A top-ten list of Petty places around town, from his childhood neighborhood and Gainesville High to Depot Park and the Mudcrutch Farm site. The museum hosted the 2024 "Among the Wildflowers" exhibit.
The Jitney: Lost in Hollywood
jitneybooks.com
Florida music historian Michael Ray Fitzgerald's long read on Mudcrutch: the Gainesville years, the drive to Los Angeles, the Shelter Records deal and the breakup.
WUFT News: Tom Leadon remembers
wuft.org
The University of Florida newsroom's interview with Mudcrutch co-founder Tom Leadon about growing up with Tom, the early band and the 2007 reunion.
The Gainesville Sun
gainesville.com
The hometown daily, which has been writing about Tom and Mudcrutch since the early 1970s. Many of the best early stories about the band first ran here.
Mainstreet Daily News
mainstreetdailynews.com
Free Gainesville daily news with regular Petty coverage: Tom Petty Weekend previews, the Tom Petty Park renovation and the city's hometown tributes.
The Independent Florida Alligator
alligator.org
UF's independent student paper, which keeps up with Petty's hometown legacy, from the 34th Street mural to the Gators' "I Won't Back Down" tradition.
Run a Petty site?
If you keep a Tom Petty, Heartbreakers or Mudcrutch site, podcast or archive, we'd be glad to swap links. Send us your address and a line about what you do.