Ashe County, Rolling Pines, and Stoney Hill are all about 1.5 to 2 hours away from Charlotte, one-way. It's basically a full-day trip to play any of those. Were you aware of that, and do you have time for that?
I, too, am a Rolling Pines hater, but will grudgingly admit that it does fit your elevation/scenery/fun criteria. Ashe County and Stoney Hill are both better on those counts, but are also even further away. If you are genuinely willing to drive that far, I would also strongly consider some of the upstate SC courses, especially Grand Central Station and Holston Creek.
None of the Charlotte courses have that much elevation, and most of them aren't terribly scenic either (though Canaan Riverbend has a few jaw-dropper holes). And almost all of the courses there are heavily wooded. So it seems like you need to either prepare for long drives to get what you want (elevation, scenery, and more open holes), or adjust your criteria for what you want to play to match Charlotte better (lots of woods).
For me, among the Charlotte courses, Nevin is the challenging crown jewel, and Reedy Creek and Bradford are the most fun intermediate options. I'm much lower on Hornet's Nest than most people, though I'm admittedly an outlier, but do note that you won't get to play the island basket on hole 2. I have no idea what kind of shape Canaan is in right now, it has some beauty but also some extremely thick rough. I'm never sure whether to recommend Renaissance to people, it is very unique, in both good and bad directions.