Shark Valley Visitor Center in Everglades National Park
See the Visitor Centers web page for an interactive location map.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Shark Valley Visitor Center and Shark Valley Tram Tours, the Everglades National Park concessionaire that runs the tram tours and rents bicycles, share a building. Unlike a traditional visitor center where you will find a museum and a theater to watch the park’s orientation film, the Shark Valley Visitor Center serves mainly as an information center.
OPERATING HOURS
The Shark Valley Visitor Center is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM. Times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to visit Everglades National Park’s official Shark Valley Visitor Center web page for the latest schedule.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AREA AMENITIES
- Ranger-staffed information desk where you can pick up a free park brochure and other information
- Departure point for Ranger-led programs (see the park’s Shark Valley Ranger Guided Tours web page for a schedule)
- Small book / souvenir store
- Small exhibit area
- Park orientation film
- Restrooms
Information desk at the Shark Valley Visitor Center in Everglades National Park
SHARK VALLEY TRAM TOURS OFFICE AMENITIES
- Ticket office for trams tours and bike rentals
- Large gift store
- Snacks
Shark Valley Tram Tours office inside the Shark Valley Visitor Center building, Everglades National Park
PARK FILM
There is a park film that plays on a small TV in the exhibit area, but it was not working when I visited. It plays on demand by pushing a button. There are no seats, so you must stand and watch it.
EXHIBITS
There are only two exhibits at the Shark Valley Visitor Center, one on how plume hunters killed off millions of birds in the Everglades to satisfy the late 1800s fashion craze for feathers worn in women’s hats and one on the water problems facing the park.
Plumage exhibit inside the Shark Valley Visitor Center, Everglades National Park
SCHEDULING YOUR TIME
You can read through the exhibits in ten minutes. Other than that, asking questions and booking tours is the only additional time you can spend at the Shark Valley Visitor Center.
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Last updated on September 22, 2024
