I used Dreamweaver and while very powerful it has a pretty steep learning curve and is expensive ($400). It's overkill for any kind of personal web site. Not that you can't use it but rather it probably doesn't represent a good value for the casual user.

Unfortunately I don't have another suggestion. Many web hosting services do offer free software but I don't know how well it works.

Notepad.

I would suggest First Page 2001 o 2006 from Evrsoft. Both are free now. 2001 has no aggravating wait time, 2006 has a five second start and close wait. While not overpowering it can get frustrating. 2001 has 3 levels of competence, you can start at beginner and work up as you gain confidence.

I used 2001 for years until I got carried away and actually bought a program. If you need a good starter tutorial apart from your dummies book you might look at HTMLGoodies, it is split into small sections on various subjects and is not overpowering IMHO

sites like tripod and bravenet and others have free website building tools and templates which are extremely easy to use and they let you build a site there for free.
You do not even have to know html if you don't want to.
I really like the one they use on tripod, I have done several sites there for people then let them take them over and no problems. I have a site on tripod and a few other hosting sites. For a first time build I would go with one of these freebie ones so you can get an idea of what to do and what is available. Then if you feel you need more or better you can move on to specific programs to help you build better and bigger.

Here is a link that might be useful: tripod

I have two web sites with Angelfire. It is easy and free, but does have some minimal advertising.

I did these several years ago and now with all the new browsers, some pages may not render as well.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: My Reading Room

Free is always good, but only if you and your vistors don't mind popups and ad banners all over your web pages. Myself, I find them annoying and intrusive. I learned to build web pages using notepad and I am not into all the new fancy coding because I have lots of photos on my site and follow the old theory "K.I.S.S." which makes my pages fast loading even on dialup. If you choose a free host with templets I still recommend learning HTML so you can build your own pages the way you want them and you can always move your pages to another host later where you can be in contol.

Another thing to watch out for with a free host is how much bandwidth they allow. It usually measured by the month and if you go over your website is shut down until the next month. Most hosts have the option to pay a fee for extra bandwidth per month, but that defeats the purpose of being "free"!

Good luck with your venture and besure to checkout the link that Owbist posted because it is a terrific place to learn and take control of your project.