To be honest what you're going to feel between pretty much any 26" mountain bike and pretty much any 27.5/29" wheeled mountain bike is more due to pretty significant changes in geometry in more recently designed bikes than the wheel sizes per se. If you're used to most any 26" wheeled mountain bike, the relatively long wheelbase, slack head angle, short stem, wide bars, low bottom bracket, etc will lead to a bike that feels considerably less responsive at low speeds, on pavement, etc. This is in favor of fairly considerable gains in stability at speed. This generally feels worse for parking lot rides, and on trail until you adapt to the steering of a recent bike. 26" to 27.5" is really a pretty minor difference in rolling diameter--it's closer to 26" than 29" in actual rim diameter.
In realistic terms, there are basically no 26" wheeled mountain bikes beyond the very entry level for an average sized adult for general trail riding purposes--there are only a few dirt jump, and increasingly rarely, downhill bikes available in 26". If you want something that feels a little bit more like what you're used to, consider looking at XC targeted bikes with 27.5 wheels.