Northern Brewer is a good place to start. I got one of those Mr. Beer kits from my kids once and it never really worked out. But I've since done several one or two gallon batches of blonde ales and IPA's - makes about 10-11 twelve ounce bottles. Use glass fermenters and make sure everything is sanitized. Makes some really good home brews. Be patient. My one issue is the chilling of the wort before you pitch the yeast. After my boil for about an hour it takes forever to cool it down and keep it sanitary until you go from 170 degrees F to no more than 71 degrees F. I use an ice bath in the kitchen sink but took longer than you could imagine - and I went through 2.5 bags of grocery store ice to cool it.
Bottling takes two hands / two people. But the results are fun. I get my adult kids to help make the beer, drink a few local crafts while we wait, and then they clean up. And 3-4 weeks later they come back and enjoy a pint with me.
I consider it "adult chemistry" but it's all about the experience. I went to one or two gallon batches because if it goes bad, you haven't lost much, other than time. I'm in the Seattle area so we have lots of local brewer supply locations for all my goods. Make a few friends and do the brewing together. I've done the "brew it yourself" twice but both times the beers were not as good as home brews, either because of cleanliness or someone had "brewed" root beer the day before and my first bottles were "A&W IPA's!"
Good luck. And if you want good advice, I'll be happy to answer, or go to beercraftr.com and morebeer.com for good advice and reading on home brewing. Don't be scared to try something - use small batches. And you don't need a whole lot of expensive gear to get really serious - just patience and cleanliness!
Good luck! Go Gamecocks!