One of the hidden gems of North Carolina nestled up in the mountains, UNC Asheville. It is a public LAC in the mountains of Asheville. It has a quirky population and offers a fantastic education with the resources of UNC but a smaller and diversified campus.
Another campus (UNC) nearby in Boone, NC is Appalachian State. Both are on the smallish side compared to NC State and UNC Chapel Hill. Both offer unique and varied majors often not seen at the other larger campuses. I have a niece and nephew who both attend App State and rave about the school, classes, friends and education. She is in the nursing program and he has participated in some great internships. Both are on the shy side so it was a perfect fit (with one also suffering from anxiety).
Hope this helps.
Kat