Share 'What is the best way to try out boats?'

My wife and I are looking to purchase a boat in a few years. What is the best way to get to sail various boats so that we can see what they look like on the inside and how they sail for short excursions. We don't really want to deal with brokers at this time but we are wanting to meet new people in the cruising community. Anyone have any ideas or what you did to see different styles of boats. We…