Take a guided Jaws tour of Martha's Vineyard with local guide Mike Currid. Walk the real Amity Island in Edgartown and book the "Amity" Walking Tour.
In the summer of 1974, a film crew showed up in a small town on Martha's Vineyard and quietly began shooting what would become the highest-grossing film of all time — the movie that essentially invented the modern summer blockbuster. The town was Edgartown, which stood in for the fictional Amity Island. The film, of course, was Jaws.
Fifty years later — and especially after the cultural moment around the 50th anniversary celebrations of 2025 — Jaws fans from all over the world are still making the trip to Martha's Vineyard to walk the actual streets, harbors, and beaches where Steven Spielberg shot the movie. If you're planning to be one of them, here's the honest answer to the question we get asked most often: yes, you should take a guided tour, and you should book it with Edgartown Tour Company.
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There's something about Jaws that doesn't fade. Part of it is the film itself — fifty years on, the storytelling holds up better than most movies made last year. Part of it is the production history, which is one of the most chaotic, accidentally brilliant stories in Hollywood. And part of it is the location.
Unlike a lot of films where the “set” is on a soundstage or in a Hollywood backlot, Jaws was shot almost entirely on real locations on Martha's Vineyard. The Edgartown ferry. The harbor. The drawbridge. The beaches. The streets. They're all still there. You can walk them.
That's why so many fans make the trip every year. Standing in the actual place where something iconic happened on screen is a different experience from watching it again at home. You see the geography. You feel the size of the streets. You realize what was changed for the film and what was used exactly as it was in 1974.
You can absolutely find a Jaws location map online — in fact, we've mapped out every Jaws filming location on Martha's Vineyard in a separate complete guide. You can drive around, take pictures, and call it a day. A lot of people do exactly that.
But here's the catch: the locations themselves don't tell you anything. They're just buildings and streets and water. What makes them interesting is everything you can't see — the production stories from people who were there, the local characters who became unofficial cast members, the chaos of the malfunctioning mechanical shark, the decisions that ended up shaping the film. None of that is on a map.
That's where Mike Currid comes in.
Mike has been guiding the “Amity” Walking Tour through Edgartown since 2011. He has spent over a decade collecting production stories, talking to longtime residents who were around in 1974, researching the film's history, and refining the tour. It's not a script. It's a deep conversation with someone who has genuinely done the work. We took his tours ourselves and wrote up a full first-hand review of the Edgartown Tour Company.
If you've ever taken a “movie locations tour” anywhere else, you probably already know the difference between someone reading off facts and someone who actually knows the story. Mike is the second kind.
The tour is about an hour long, kept to a small group size, and walks you through the major Jaws locations in the historic core of Edgartown. We're not going to spoil the specific stops or the stories Mike tells — that's the whole point of taking the tour. But we filmed a short 4K preview that gives you a sense of the experience:
What we can say is that the tour balances the on-screen moments with the behind-the-scenes context that makes them interesting. If you're a Jaws fan, you'll learn things you've never heard before. If you're with someone who hasn't seen the movie (or hasn't seen it in years), Mike makes it accessible without flattening the depth.
The other thing worth noting: Mike is genuinely good company. The tour doesn't feel like a recital. It feels like a conversation with someone who is excited to be there.
The “Amity” Walking Tour has been featured in some of the most respected travel publications in the world. The Financial Times included it in their coverage of Jaws tourism on Martha's Vineyard. The Washington Post wrote about it during the 50th anniversary coverage. Condé Nast Traveler highlighted it. So did Frommer's, The Telegraph, MV Times, and The A.V. Club.
The Edgartown Tour Company was also selected as part of the official programming for the Jaws 50th anniversary celebration on Martha's Vineyard — not by accident.
When that many outlets independently arrive at the same conclusion about the same business, it's usually because the business is doing something right.
Book the “Amity” Jaws Walking Tour →
Bookings fill up during peak weeks, especially around the summer season. If you have specific dates in mind, reserve early.
If you're spending a few days on Martha's Vineyard, Mike also offers several other tours that complement the Jaws experience:
All booked through the same site.
If you're coming to Martha's Vineyard because of Jaws, the question isn't whether to take a tour. It's which tour. Our recommendation, after taking it ourselves and watching how seriously Mike approaches the work, is the Edgartown Tour Company's “Amity” Walking Tour.
It's the closest you're going to get to standing inside the film's actual world — with someone who can tell you what really happened there.
Book your “Amity” Walking Tour →
💡 Island Tip of the Day — Timing
Norton Point Beach for 4WD is less crowded before 9 AM and after 4 PM. Permit: $60/day or $140/season for off-island visitors. 4WD required, tires to 15 PSI.
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