I have finally found the time to convert my old site from Concrete5 to a full-blown Drupal.

I customized the NEW Acquia Slate (3.0 not 2.0) using the new skinr module and and fusion themeing as well as some css hacking. I used gallery assist for the image galleries and had to modify the tpl file slightly to not show the image names.

I think everything else is pretty much standard Drupal.

I'm actually a little ashamed, since the site right now isn't Drupal! I've been too busy with other clients to fix mine. I made it with Concrete5, but I am working on porting my site over to Drupal as we speak. I think it should be done very soon with the added functionality of a blog and the ability to update it easily.

I am using the new Skinr module along with a customized dev version of acquia slate. Everything else is pretty much standard Drupal. Hopefully the look and feel won't change too dramatically, since I am actually happy with the layout.

Yes, free!

Webenabled.com offers an instant development platform and easy install of drupal and a lot of other opensource software.

I think they give you two instances if you want. You have to renew it every 30 days. But it doesn't cost anything.

I use it for all of my work. The service is excellent.

I don't work for them or get any commission from them. I'm just a satisfied customer. It would be great for learning and it will ease you in without having to do all the setup and install of it.

You can choose from different drupal installs as well. (Go with the acquia. They have a lot of modules prepackaged with the install.)

If you don't need a web install and just want to learn on your local machine, you could just use MAMP or the acquia stack. This will install a working server on your computer along with drupal.

Ben