…and as for trails, if you come to NC and don’t ride Tsali then you would be missing out on quite an experience.
Other than that there are a lot of good trails around the Bur Mil park area here in Greensboro (Owls Roost is a good, technical trail) and Hobby Park (in Winston Salem) is a nice trail to ride, though the big climb there would be hard on a beginner. Other than that, I’d suggest checking out Uwharrie National Park just to the northwest of Troy, NC.
Any other trails near the capital or other trails in the mountains other than Tsali I’m not familiar with.