Any advice for a newcomer to the hobby?

[Snake Judy]

Judy, that is exactly what I was hoping to hear. I am also an aquarium (fish) enthusiast and I just love making visually appealing habitats for my animals. The items I have in my shopping carts are lots of artificial plants, vines, branches, stumps, stones, and a lot of really neat looking, natural decor that I was really looking forward to having enough space to use it all. I was hoping to be able to have a large habitat that gives my snake room to explore, and options on where to be, but ultimately the snake's best interest is what I am most concerned about. I don't want to do something just for me and have it be bad for my snake. I will get a hygrometer for sure if it is important.

Sounds like you've got the right idea. Nothing wrong with creating an aesthetically pleasing habitat as long as it's suitable for the snake! I've seen a lot of nice set-ups in PVC cages so definitely check that out. You can also go the DIY route with a wooden vivarium if you're handy. Just avoid that screen! I'd also recommend doing some searches on environmental enrichment for snakes and reptiles, it's a hot topic lately so you should be able to find a lot of good species-specific ideas.