Every Jaws Filming Location on Martha's Vineyard: The Complete Guide (2026)

Martha's Vineyard is Amity Island — and fifty-one years later, almost every filming location still exists. Steven Spielberg's 1975 masterpiece was shot entirely on the island from May through October 1974, transforming the quiet whaling towns of Edgartown, Menemsha, and Oak Bluffs into the fictional beach community terrorized by a great white shark. For a broader overview of the island, see our Martha's Vineyard guide. What was supposed to be a 55-day shoot ballooned into 159 grueling days, the mechanical shark barely worked, the budget tripled — and the result invented the summer blockbuster.

Today, Jaws tourism thrives on Martha's Vineyard with guided tours, annual celebrations, a museum exhibition, and a community of "FINatics" who travel from around the world to walk in Chief Brody's footsteps. Here is every verified filming location, what you'll find there today, and how to plan your own pilgrimage to Amity Island.

How a Wrong Ferry Created Cinema History

The story of Jaws on Martha's Vineyard begins with a lucky accident. In late 1973, production designer Joe Alves boarded a ferry from Woods Hole to scout Nantucket — where novelist Peter Benchley summered — but rough seas forced the captain to turn back. Alves exchanged his ticket for the Martha's Vineyard ferry instead, and the moment he stepped ashore, he knew he'd found Amity Island.

Spielberg chose Martha's Vineyard for one critical technical reason: the surrounding ocean has a sandy bottom that never drops below 35 feet for 12 miles offshore. This meant the mechanical shark could operate on the sea floor while the camera pointed toward open horizon with no land in sight — creating the illusion of deep, dangerous water. The island's isolation and the picture-perfect New England character of Edgartown sealed the deal.

Principal photography began May 2, 1974 and was supposed to wrap by late June. Instead, the shoot dragged on until October 6, 1974 — 159 days that nearly destroyed careers and instead created a masterpiece. Universal was spending $30,000 per day on the island. The original $3.5 million budget ballooned to approximately $8–9 million. Spielberg, just 26 years old, never left the island during the entire seven-month ordeal.

In the film, Amity Island is a fictional town off Long Island, New York. The production transformed Edgartown by installing "Amity" signs over real storefronts — "Amity Hardware," "Amity Bank," an "Amity Island Welcomes You" billboard — while using creative editing to stitch together locations from opposite ends of the island into a single convincing town. Thanks to Martha's Vineyard's strict preservation standards, the vast majority of these locations look almost identical today.

The Jaws Bridge (American Legion Memorial Bridge)

Location: Beach Road / Seaview Avenue, between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, spanning the inlet to Sengekontacket Pond. Freely accessible, roadside parking. Reachable by free VTA bus #13 from Oak Bluffs.

This is the island's most iconic Jaws landmark. In the film, the shark swims under this bridge from the ocean into the "safe" pond, attacking a man in a red rowboat while Brody's son Michael floats nearby in shock. The stone quay running perpendicular to the bridge — where Roy Scheider sprints during the attack — is still there. The two kids with the cardboard shark fin prank were played by Jonathan and Steven Searle, real island locals. In a remarkable life-imitating-art twist, Jonathan Searle became the real-life police chief of Oak Bluffs in 2022.

The bridge has spawned a beloved tradition: jumping off it into Sengekontacket Pond below. On sunny summer days, tourists and locals line up to leap while passing cars honk encouragement. The bridge sits about 12–15 feet above roughly 15 feet of water at center. Despite posted "No Jumping or Diving" signs, it remains a summer rite of passage — jump only at high tide, near the center, during daylight, and with others present. Tragic incidents have occurred here; do not jump in low tide or near the concrete supports.

Joseph Sylvia State Beach — the Alex Kintner Attack

Location: Beach Road, between Edgartown and Oak Bluffs (ocean side of the Jaws Bridge). Free public beach, accessible by VTA bus.

This beautiful public beach (see our beaches guide) served as Amity's main beach for some of the film's most memorable sequences. The Alex Kintner raft attack, the mass beach panic, the crowded scenes with Brody anxiously scanning the water from his chair, and Spielberg's famous dolly zoom shot on Scheider's face as he realizes the shark has struck — all filmed here.

Jeffrey Voorhees, an Edgartown local who was 12 at the time, played Alex Kintner after auditioning at the Kelley House. The beach scenes were shot in May when the water was still freezing. Local extras earned $20/day to sit on the sand. Voorhees still receives royalties and now leads Jaws tours on the island through Homegrown Tours. The beach looks remarkably similar to its 1974 appearance.

Edgartown: The Heart of Amity Island

Edgartown's white clapboard buildings, brick sidewalks, and preserved whaling-village character made it the ideal stand-in for Amity's downtown. Thanks to the town's strict historical preservation standards, these locations still stand. Here is a building-by-building breakdown:

Amity Police Station Exterior — South Water Street at Davis Lane

Chief Brody exits the rear entrance onto Davis Lane and walks along South Water Street. Still standing as a private residence; please do not enter the yard, as this has been an ongoing issue with visitors.

Amity Police Station Interior — 33 North Summer Street

The scenes of Brody typing up the shark attack report and working with his secretary Polly were filmed inside this private home, which also served as a production office. Still standing.

Amity Town Hall — 70 Main Street

The actual Edgartown Town Hall. This is where Quint scratches his fingernails on the chalkboard and delivers his legendary "Y'all know me" speech during the tense town meeting. The building still functions as the real Edgartown Town Hall. The interior has been updated since 1974, but the brown clock visible during the town meeting scene still hangs on the wall, and the curved table remains (moved to the other side of the room). Walk in during business hours to see the room where it happened.

Amity Hardware Exterior — Corner of Main Street and Water Street

Brody marches here to buy supplies for "Beach Closed" signs. The building is now occupied by Boneyard Surf Co. The original "Amity Hardware" prop sign still hangs on the ceiling inside Edgartown Hardware, which has relocated to 61 West Tisbury Road — one of the island's best-preserved Jaws artifacts and worth the detour.

Amity Hardware Interior — 55 Main Street

The interior hardware store scenes were filmed here, now home to The Port Hunter, a seafood restaurant — a great stop for dinner after a location tour.

Mrs. Kintner Slap Scene — 1 Morse Street, near Memorial Wharf

The grieving Mrs. Kintner (played by local drama teacher Lee Fierro) publicly slaps Chief Brody at this waterfront location. The scene required a remarkable 17 takes. Fierro initially refused the role because the script contained swearing; the dialogue was rewritten for her. She lived on Martha's Vineyard and directed the Island Theatre Workshop for over 25 years until her death in 2020.

Rockland Trust — South Water Street

Dressed as "Amity National Bank" in the film, this working bank still displays an original prop from the movie on its interior wall — worth stepping inside to see.

Edgartown Harbor, Memorial Wharf, and the Chappy Ferry

The waterfront area around Memorial Wharf and Dock Street served as Amity's harbor. Matt Hooper's arrival by boat, the incorrect tiger shark being strung up for inspection, the fishermen loading boats after the bounty is posted, and the Mrs. Kintner confrontation all took place along this stretch.

The Chappaquiddick Ferry at 53 Dock Street is where Mayor Vaughn pressures Brody into calling Chrissie's death a "boating accident" rather than a shark attack. The tiny ferry — carrying pedestrians, bikes, and up to three cars — has barely changed since 1974 and still runs daily (summer schedule: 6:45 AM to midnight). Riding it costs just a few dollars and takes about two minutes.

The Old Sculpin Gallery at 58 Dock Street sits directly across from the Chappy Ferry landing. Production designer Joe Alves based the architectural design of Quint's shack on this building — making it an essential stop for film buffs, even though the shack itself was built across the island in Menemsha.

Menemsha Harbor: Quint's Shack and the Orca's Departure

Location: Menemsha Harbor, North Road, Chilmark. About 30 minutes by car from Edgartown; free public access to the harbor area.

The picturesque fishing village of Menemsha doubled as the working waterfront where Quint lived. Quint's shack was built specifically for the film at approximately 513 North Road, on the harbor inlet between the General Store and what is now the Menemsha Galley restaurant (515 North Road). The custom-built shack was deemed too tall for local zoning laws and required special permission — then had to be torn down immediately after filming and the area restored. The lot has been vacant ever since, sitting empty between the restaurant and general store as if waiting for Spielberg to return.

This is also where the Orca sets sail — the gorgeous sequence of Quint, Brody, and Hooper departing on their shark hunt was filmed against Menemsha's authentic fishing village backdrop. The harbor looks almost identical to 1974. While you're here, Menemsha is famous for its sunset views and is one of the best spots on the island to watch the sun go down over the water.

The Opening Attack: South Beach and Cow Bay

The film's legendary opening sequence was shot across multiple locations. The beach bonfire party was filmed at South Beach (Katama Beach) in Edgartown. The actual swimming and attack scenes were filmed at Cow Bay in Edgartown — chosen for its shallower water, which allowed the mechanical shark rigging to be installed. The underwater point-of-view shots looking up at Chrissie from below were filmed off Santa Catalina Island, California, where the water was clearer.

Cow Bay is now private property and not accessible to the public during summer. South Beach remains a beautiful public barrier beach — the same sand where it all began.

The Brody House — 265 East Chop Drive, Oak Bluffs

The exterior of Chief Brody's family home was a private residence on East Chop, near the East Chop Lighthouse. Unfortunately, the original house was demolished to the first floor in 2002 and completely rebuilt on the old foundation. The property is privately owned; guided tours deliberately don't stop there out of respect for the residents.

Aquinnah Cliffs — 35 Aquinnah Circle, Aquinnah (Gay Head)

The scene where Brody and Hooper argue with Mayor Vaughn about closing the beaches was filmed at the island's westernmost point, with the Gay Head Lighthouse clearly visible in the background. The "Amity Island Welcomes You" billboard — famously vandalized with a painted shark fin — was a temporary set piece that local authorities required to be removed after just one day of filming. The benches from the scene are still there; the billboard is long gone. The area is freely accessible and still worth the drive for the dramatic cliffs and lighthouse views.

The Orca, Bruce, and the Open Ocean

The Orca's shark hunt was filmed on the Atlantic between East Chop and Oak Bluffs, sometimes venturing 12 miles offshore. When open-ocean conditions proved too brutal, the crew retreated to Katama Bay — the protected water between South Beach and Chappaquiddick — for many of the climactic sequences. The final shot of Brody and Hooper swimming to shore was filmed at Cape Poge on Chappaquiddick Island.

The fate of the Orca

The original Orca was a 1940s Nova Scotia-style wooden lobster boat named Warrick, refitted by local craftsman Chris Crawford in just six weeks. After filming, Universal sold it — then raced to buy it back for a reported $130,000 when the film became a phenomenon. It became the centerpiece of the Universal Studios Jaws ride before eventually being destroyed.

The stunt double Orca II — a fiberglass replica designed to sink on command — went under an astonishing 24 times during filming, dragging expensive cameras to the bottom at least twice. Marine mechanic Lynn Murphy bought it for $1 after filming and left it on the beach in Menemsha, where it rotted for over 30 years before being dismantled around 2006. For the 50th anniversary in June 2025, marine carpenter Michael Sterling and his son Jack built a faithful full-size Orca replica that was displayed at Oak Bluffs Harbor, where Richard Dreyfuss came aboard and sang "Show Me the Way to Go Home."

Bruce the mechanical shark — and why less was more

Three full-sized, 25-foot mechanical sharks were built for filming, nicknamed "Bruce" after Spielberg's lawyer Bruce Ramer. They cost approximately $500,000. The catastrophic problem: Bruce performed perfectly in freshwater tests in California, but nobody tested saltwater compatibility. When lowered into the Atlantic off Martha's Vineyard, the first shark sank straight to the bottom. Saltwater corroded the hydraulics, caused the neoprene skin to balloon, and fractured metal frames.

This disaster forced Spielberg to show less of the shark and suggest its presence instead — through John Williams' two-note theme, point-of-view shots from below, yellow flotation barrels, and the actors' terrified reactions. The result transformed a potential B-movie into one of cinema's greatest exercises in suspense. As critics have noted, Jaws became more believable the moment they got rid of the shark.

One surviving promotional shark is now on permanent display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, restored by Greg Nicotero.

The Islanders Who Became Part of Cinema History

Craig Kingsbury (1912–2002), a Martha's Vineyard farmer and fisherman, played Ben Gardner and served as the real-life model for Quint. Universal hired him so Robert Shaw could shadow him; audiotapes of Kingsbury's voice were made for Shaw to study. Spielberg called Kingsbury "the purest version of who, in my mind, Quint was." Many of Kingsbury's phrases became Quint's dialogue. A documentary about him, The Farmer and the Shark, premiered at the MV Museum in August 2025. His lifecast head — used for the famous Ben Gardner jump scare — is displayed at the Martha's Vineyard Museum.

Bow Van Riper, now the MV Museum's research librarian and the island's foremost Jaws historian, was 12 years old in 1974 and served as an extra in the beach scenes. He was among the roughly 50 local children who splashed in the water for $20/day.

Lee Fierro, the local drama teacher who played Mrs. Kintner and famously slapped Roy Scheider 17 times, lived on Martha's Vineyard and directed the Island Theatre Workshop for decades until her death in 2020. The Kintner slap scene required 17 takes because Fierro, who had never acted in film, kept slapping Scheider for real.

The Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown housed the principal cast throughout filming. Still operating today, it anchors much of the annual Amity Week programming. The Kelley House (now Faraway MV) served as Universal's base of operations, with casting sessions and production offices. Hotel owner Bob Carroll demanded a $25,000 deposit for 50 rooms — and immediately used the check to pay off his mortgage.

Amity Week 2026 and the Return to Amity

Amity Week — June 22–28, 2026

Organized by the Edgartown Board of Trade and held annually each June, Amity Week is the island's official celebration of Jaws and its community. Based on the 2025 program, expect: walking tours, the "Drink Like Quint" Narragansett Jaws Lager promotion at Rosewater Wine (65 Main Street), a Barks & Sharks dog costume contest at Edgartown Lighthouse, sandcastle competitions at Jaws Bridge, shark-flavored ice cream at Mad Martha's, movie screenings, book signings, kayak tours with trivia, and cast appearances. The full 2026 schedule will be posted at amityweek.org.

Return to Amity: A Jaws Regatta — June 20–21, 2026

Held at The Wharf Pub in Edgartown, this ticketed event ($135 per person, non-refundable) features meet-and-greets with cast members including Jeffrey Kramer (Deputy Hendricks), Jeffrey Voorhees (Alex Kintner), and the Searle brothers. Events include a cosplay costume contest, Quint impersonation contest, book signings, live music, '70s karaoke, and the Orca birthday celebration with cake. Doors open 5 PM–9 PM with "Amity After Dark" until 1 AM. Tickets and info at returntoamity.com.

The Harbor View Hotel also hosts Amity Weekend programming June 18–21, 2026. Check harborviewhotel.com for details.

Guided Jaws Tours in 2026

The Edgartown Tour Company offers the gold-standard "Amity Tour of JAWS" — a one-hour walking tour through downtown Edgartown filming locations at $45 adults / $35 kids. The guide uses an iPad to play actual film clips at each real location. Private all-island van tours also available. Book at edgartowntours.com or call (508) 203-1853.

Experience MV Tours operates a 4-hour private van tour covering island-wide locations including Menemsha, Aquinnah, Jaws Bridge, and Memorial Wharf — starting at $500 for up to 7 people. Some guides were extras in the original film. Book at mvtransportandtours.com.

The free SetJetters app lets you search Jaws scenes, align your camera with original film shots using "ShotSync," and self-guide through locations at your own pace.

The Martha's Vineyard Museum at 151 Lagoon Pond Road, Vineyard Haven, runs a follow-up exhibition to the wildly successful 2025 "Jaws at 50" show — which drew more than 20,000 visitors in three months. The 2026 exhibition "Jaws at 50: An Island Story" highlights the islanders behind the scenes. Check current hours and admission at mvmuseum.org.

The Complete Jaws Pilgrimage: One-Day Itinerary

All locations below are freely accessible unless noted. Allow 6–8 hours for the full circuit; a car or bike is needed for Menemsha and Aquinnah.

Morning in Edgartown: Start at 70 Main Street (Town Hall) to find the original clock. Walk to the corner of Main and Water Street for the Amity Hardware exterior, then south to 55 Main Street (The Port Hunter) — breakfast or coffee here if they're open. Continue to South Water Street at Davis Lane for the police station exterior. Walk down to 1 Morse Street (Mrs. Kintner slap), then along the waterfront to 53 Dock Street for the Chappy Ferry and 58 Dock Street (Old Sculpin Gallery / Quint's shack inspiration). Take a 10-minute Chappy Ferry ride to Chappaquiddick and back — it's worth it for the experience alone.

Midday at the Bridge and Beach: Drive or bike north along Beach Road to the Jaws Bridge — stop, jump in if you dare, then continue along Joseph Sylvia State Beach (2 miles of the actual attack beach) all the way to Oak Bluffs.

Afternoon: Menemsha and Aquinnah: Drive to Menemsha Harbor to find the vacant lot where Quint's shack stood. Head west to Aquinnah Cliffs for the billboard scene location with Gay Head Lighthouse. Catch the famous Menemsha sunset on the way back.

Jaws-themed dinner: The Port Hunter (55 Main Street, inside the Amity Hardware interior) or The Seafood Shanty at Memorial Wharf (order the "Amity Isle" cocktail).

Jaws-Themed Shopping and Food Year-Round

Rosewater Wine & Spirits (65 Main Street, Edgartown) — Narragansett Jaws Lager and Jaws-themed wine. Mad Martha's Ice Cream — shark-flavored flavor during summer. Pirates Puzzle (Edgartown) — Jaws Experience escape room aboard a replica Orca. Soft As a Grape (Edgartown) — the perennial "Amity Island est. 1975" shirts that Spielberg himself bought in 2023. CB Stark Jewelers (10 Main Street) — Jaws collection including Bruce the shark charms and Amity Island sign charms, made by the same jeweler who created the original rings worn by Chrissie in the film. Bunch of Grapes Bookstore — Jaws: Memories from Martha's Vineyard by Matt Taylor and shark-themed gifts. Murdick's Fudge — Shark Bite vanilla fudge with cranberry swirl.

Want to walk these locations with a local guide? See our Martha’s Vineyard Jaws Tour guide — how to book the “Amity” Walking Tour with longtime guide Mike Currid.