You are much more likely to find cyclocross bikes in a local bike shop than you will touring bikes. I personally think a touring bike is best if you want a combination of commuting and touring, but most bike shops don't carry touring bikes. My local bike shop is a trek dealer, but doesn't stock the Trek 520 touring bike. I've never seen a Surly LHT in any local bike shop. I've been to a local Fuji dealer that had no Fuji Touring in stock. I guess the bikes aren't that popular. You'll see plenty of high end racing bikes and mountain bikes at most local bike shops, but these aren't really good for commuting or touring.

If you are lucky enough to find a local bike shop that carries touring models, I would strongly encourage taking a test ride. These are the most versatile road bikes in my opinion. Cyclocross bikes are a good second choice if a shop doesn't carry touring models.

I was in a similar situation as you last year. I donated my 15 year old mountain bike to Goodwill and replaced it with a Windsor Tourist. My Windsor has around 3300 miles on it now. As suggested previously, you will want to either learn bike mechanics or pay to have a shop assemble your bike if you choose to buy something over the internet. If you choose to shop locally, you may have to settle for what is in stock or ask to special order a touring model.