Computer sims are a big help and will give you a little bit of an idea how the controls work. Do everything John said, an instructor will also be able to check your plane and make surre all the controls work correctly and the plane is in balance. Clubs provide a safe field to fly at. Today I was flying just outside of the Vegas strip but there arer no homes close by and the area is pretty open so we aren't hitting anything. That trainer is sure not a park flyer!
Notice all the open space in the photo.