Welcome to Glass Key, Florida: Where was Road House filmed?

Posted by

Set in the fictional Glass Key in the Florida Keys, Road House was filmed primarily in the Dominican Republic.

Inspired by the 1989 film of the same name starring Patrick Swayze, the new movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Elwood Dalton.

Jake Gyllenhaal in Road House

In this remake, Dalton is a troubled former UFC fighter who becomes entangled in a web of corruption and violence after trying to settle down as a bouncer at a roadside bar.

Since the opening of the Pinewood Studios Dominican Republic complex in 2013, the small Caribbean country has seen the shooting of many major productions.

Welcome to Glass Key and our spoiler-free guide to the filming locations of Road House. You'll find the locations in order of appearance.


The Glass Key

Glass Key in Florida
At the beginning of the movie, there is a establishing shot of the Old Seven Mile Bridge.

Completed in 1912, the bridge was part of the Overseas Railroad spanning a distance of approximately 6.79 miles (10.9 km) over the shallow waters of the Florida Keys.

In the 1930s, the Overseas Railroad was converted into the Overseas Highway, and the bridge was replaced by a new one.

Fred the Tree, which appears to be growing out of concrete, has become an iconic landmark. Today, this symbol of hope and resilience stands in one of the country's most scenic routes.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
  Image courtesy of Amazon Prime - Map


Glass Key
If the original film was set in a small Missouri town, in this remake the action takes place in the fictional Glass Key, Florida.

The Glass Books set, with the Greyhound bus stop and the Glass Key liquor store, was built from scratch near a "sea hole" (on the right side of the image) outside the town of Guayacanes, Dominican Republic.

Located in the province of Santo Domingo, Guayacanes is known for its stunning beaches and vibrant Caribbean culture.
Image courtesy of Amazon Prime and Google Maps


Road House bar
The Road House is a cool bar with a not-so-cool clientele, but at least the nearest hospital is only 25 minutes away.

The bar is located on the other side of the same town, Guayacanes, on the Boulevard of Juan Dolio.

If you watched the Mayans MC series, you may have noticed that JD Pardo plays gang leader Dell, who is also a biker on the FX Networks show.
Image courtesy of Amazon Prime - Map


MGM Grand Garden Arena
The flashback scenes of the fighting tournament were filmed during the UFC 285 ceremonial weigh-ins on March 4, 2023 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The footage was shot with the entire audience as extras, including former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Jay Hieron.
Image courtesy of Amazon Prime - Map


Conor McGregor as Knox
We couldn't confirm this, but the scene where Knox (played by Irish professional mixed martial artist Conor McGregor) appears making trouble for the first time in the movie looks like the Altos de Chavón town.

This is a replica of a 16th-century Mediterranean-style village situated atop the Chavón River near La Romana.

Built in the early 1980s, the complex was also featured in the 2022 The Lost City movie starring Sandra Bullock.
Image courtesy of Amazon Prime - Map


Harvest Key
The nice boat harbor is the Casa de Campo Resort Marina in La Romana.

Located about 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) east of the capital, Santo Domingo, this luxurious resort is built like a Mediterranean village.
Image courtesy of Amazon Prime - Map


Road House location
All the studio work was filmed at Pinewood Studios Dominican Republic in Juan Dolio near San Pedro de Macorís.

This huge and modern complex features one of the most advanced water-filming facilities in the world, the Horizon Water Tank.

In recent years, many major productions have been filmed in the country, attracted by an attractive tax rebate program, including The Killer and Shotgun Wedding.
Image courtesy of Amazon Prime - Map


Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of Road House? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!

NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
*****

0 comments

All comments are reviewed prior to publication