Hi burghgrl :rose::wave:.
Yes, NC has some good choices for retirement. My mother lived in Brevard NC...a very small classy, charming, mountain town next to Pisgah Forest and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The community she lived in there was called "Connestee Falls" and had a nice club house, golf, pool, restaurant, and mostly active seniors (but not exclusively senior). Very close to Asheville. She loved it but was too far from family.
Or you can go the beach route but be wary of the areas prone to flooding due to hurricanes and it might matter to you that there's a nuclear reactor in Brunswick (far SE corner of NC). There are lots of choices there. Beaufort on the Crystal Coast is artsy and has the wild horses roaming around. Ocracoke on the Outer Banks I hear is really nice.