‘Jaws’ sights on Martha’s Vineyard

If you’re a fan of Steven Spielberg’s 1975 masterpiece, Jaws, you know that the shooting location for Amity Island was Martha’s Vineyard, just off the coast of Cape Cod, in Massachusetts. On a 2019 trip to the “Vineyard,” as locals calls it, I hunted down a few of the places Spielberg and his crew used to stage the story of the shark-gone-bad.

The first 11 photos, below, are of the little fishing village of Menemsha, on the southwest end of the island. This was the location of Quint’s shop, and the town just reeks of authenticity. You will find more Jaws locations elsewhere, but I chose to concentrate my photographic adventures here because, to me, the town captures the feel of the movie more than any other place.

The 12th photo shows the cliffs of Aquinnah and Gay Head Lighthouse, which is close to where Spielberg filmed the famous scene of the defaced “Amity Island Welcomes You” billboard. The penultimate photo is of Edgartown harbor and the “Chappy” ferry (to Chappaquiddick Island), which was used in the movie, while the final photo shows Edgartown Town Hall, which was a stand-in for Amity Town Hall.

Click each photo for a larger, higher-resolution version. All images are copyright MeierMovies, LLC, and may not be used without written permission and copyright credit. And for more information about the film’s shooting locations, visit Curbed.com.