Everglades NP has several access points. Shark Valley should be a 1-1 1/2 hour drive from Ft. Lauderdale. It's a great location to see wildlife up close and there are usually options: walking, renting a bike or taking a tram ride. There are other entrances futher away at Elizabeth City to the west, which have some outfitters (mostly outside the national park, I believe) that offer boating excursions. The other main entrance is in the south at Flamingo where services are limited. Everglades NP is definately worth a visit!
This was the very question I had - I was doing some work for a client who wanted some work on his website - he has puppies for sale from some of the top dogs worldwide. He recommended the glades and had some good recommendations. I actually took my own pooch out there and he loved it.
Anyway - I took advice from a company called everglade tours and they were fantastic. You can google them. In fact, I was a little reluctant to go out on the glades by myself, so I went with this tour group first. The next day, I rented a high tech boat, GPS nav and everything - it was pricey - but well worth it.
