A few years ago when I was buying my first handgun, I took a course at a local indoor range called “Introduction to Handguns.” The instructor went over the characteristics of both revolvers and automatics, and devoted a great deal of time towards safety. The make-up of the class was very interesting — there were several families — mom, dad, and their teenage kids. When the lecture portion was over the class was escorted to the range section of the facility to try any handgun in the rental fleet. Other than the class expense, we only paid for the ammo we used.
Here is a google search for your area for indoor ranges (
LINK). My suggestion would be to find a range that will allow you two to try out a variety of weapons.