Enchanter is an amazing class for all the reasons listed here already. You don't have the ports/sow that a druid would have but all that means is that instead of going to guk one day and then unrest the next day, and then solA the next day you simply stay in guk for a week and explore it hard! Go into every crevice while you crawl. You can do this solo once you learn more and more about the class and chances are you will get invites to groups without even advertising that you are LFG because enchanters are so great to have in groups, especially after lvl 16 as that is when they get their first clarity and haste spells.
Check these guides out - amazing work by these two.
Loraen's Guide and
Xornn's Guide. These two guides combined with trying out these strategies will get you to be a competent chanter in groups and a good soloer using charm.
Enchanter is a class that can help you achieve all your adventuring goals, and if those goals happen to change down the road it is (imo) the most powerful and fun class to play in this game. You will not regret it. I prefer high elf for their starting stats and starting area but there really is no wrong race choice (except human, who plays a human in a high fantasy rpg? I mean, c'mon). Behold the epicness that is the
Enchanter.