I've lived in NC most of my life. There are plenty of interesting people and sites with character here- stick to the urban areas; Raleigh, Carrborro, Chapel Hill, parts of Durham.
Yes I have. In 1974 and '75 my wife and I leased a truck on with the furniture movers, Bekins Van Lines. During our three years there, we traveled every Interstate Highway, North/South and East/West in the Us and went to every major city in the US except Pittsburgh and Detroit. We loaded and hauled a load of household goods from Raleigh to Daytona Beach, Florida. We, also, spent a day at the beach at Myrtle Beach, SC.
And worked there on dozens of occasions.
I tore up Highway 40.