CHARLOTTE — AJ Dillon only knows one way to learn a new city. Go all in.

"I'm a firm believer on be where your feet are," Dillon said of his commitment to discovering new places.

Dillon and his family, like most in the NFL, have been beholden to the moves that come with the league, i.e., new city, new homes, new roads to explore, stores to find, traditions to learn.

When the running back began his career with the Green Bay Packers, it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. But his girlfriend—and eventual wife—was from the area, so once lockdowns were lifted, she introduced him to the area, and he completely enmeshed himself in the town's culture.

After signing with the Panthers this offseason, the veteran back knew he wanted to learn about the Queen City and all she had to offer. But he thought it would come at a much slower pace. Within minutes of announcing on social media that he had signed with Carolina, though, fans flooded the replies.

Suggestions of where to eat, what to do, and places to see and experience filled his social media notifications.

"I was welcomed with open arms, and it was really cool to kind of see that reaction, when I first got to Charlotte, and just kind of posted about the signing and the Panthers fans and everybody was pumped for me to be here," shared Dillon, appearing on the Happy Half Hour this week.

"I was like, 'Wow, there's a lot to do here. I don't want to go find it myself. You guys tell me what to do.' And so there's an ever-growing list of things to do, but it's been awesome."

Within no time, the Charlotte Bucket List was born.

"I think there's about 25 things (now)," he guessed, "and I think it probably started with 10."

He's hit some of the big ones already, such as trying Bojangles: "I haven't been enough to have a go to (order), but I will say, the Bo-Berry biscuits are definitely—it's like a reward at the end of the day."

He's already met and hosted an event with Panthers super fan and music superstar Luke Combs, bonding over a love of trading cards: "The love of trading cards, the hobby, it's something I've been involved with since my rookie year.

"Luke recently started Combs Card, which is his alter ego, if you will, and along his tour, he's been partnering up with local shops, local card shops, and opening up packs of cards. And so, with that connection, it only made sense for us to get together, and we did an entire charity stream. So we were able to raise over $20,000."

And, more importantly, he received very specific and vital instructions from Combs on how to navigate another Carolina staple.

"He was telling me he is a Cook Out aficionado," laughed Dillon of Combs favorite fast-food spot.

"He rattled off a go-to list faster than—and it was a multi-step list with the drink, the dessert, the everything. He was like, " You can't waste time in this line. People are ready to go with their Cook Out order."

He, his wife Gabby, and their son have already visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and he recently caddied for Tetairoa McMillan at a recent golf event at Quail Hollow.

The Dillon family is still gearing up for a trip to the US National Whitewater Center. He plans to attend a Charlotte Knights game, and this weekend (weather permitting), he is knocking off one of the biggest items on his list: the Coca-Cola 600.

"I will say that all the suggestions, I've got no bad suggestions yet," said Dillon. "There's not one thing that I've done—I went to the NASCAR Hall of Fame—everything I've done so far, and people have suggested has been great. So, in my world, everything in Charlotte's a 10-10.

Between his Boston College connection with Luke Kuechly (Dillon still holds several offensive records for the Golden Eagles) and his running back brotherhood with Jonathan Stewart, the free agent had plenty of advice and help from Panthers legends when he moved to Charlotte.

"Talking to Luke Kuechly, BC guy, obviously one of the greatest, definitely Panther players, and he's like, 'Hey, you're going to love it here.' Jonathan Stewart was really awesome. I feel like he's just the ambassador of not just Panthers, but Charlotte, everything."

Now it's about integrating himself not just into the city and with those legends he already knew of, but with his new locker room as well. Dillon, who participated in the Panthers' schedule release video, is joining a running back room that includes Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks, and Trevor Etienne. He's also joining a team that presented a lot of exciting growth heading into this season.

"It's really cool to be a part of a team that's kind of, I'd say, moving in the right direction in comparison to, I've been some places where things are already solidified," explained Dillon.

"I feel like coming here, the success they had last year, it's really cool to be a part of it and try to keep that going and help to get over that hump and get to where everybody naturally wants to end up at the end of the season, hoisting the Lombardi."

Doing his part for the Panthers will also present Dillon with a Charlotte special challenge that his previous stints in Green Bay and Philadelphia did not: heat. After years of being a cold-weather back and enjoying the mild offseason temperatures that came with such, this past week of 90-plus temperatures has been a wake-up call for the back.

"All the basics that you would imagine, electrolytes, carbs, all that good stuff, good sleep," he said of how to prepare. "But no, I think it's—I try to gamify everything in my life…like being in the cold always, I feel like it's definitely an advantage if we had to play somewhere in the cold, going up north at the end of the year. I played in that for years. That's my second nature.

"I feel like being down here, I played a game here in Carolina, maybe go down to Tampa for one game, and then you're gone. Jacksonville for one game, and then you're gone. So now just kind of hitting some of these 90-degree days, like, 'OK, well, this is different.'

"I'm like, 'OK, well, how much better can this make me as a player if I have the stamina to go ahead and run through this full force, but then we have a cold game, and I can do that, I can do this.

"It's a real fun experience for me, just kind of being in an environment that I'm not used to, in just kind of the heat, and I'm like, I'm going to bring it on, let's see how good I can get."

Before the season and its indeterminate temperatures arrive, though, a few items remain on the Charlotte Bucket List. And their simplicity might make them the most important yet.

"I love doing things where you're out in the community," said Dillon, "just kind of getting the real vibe and just kind of feeling the heartbeat, if you will, of the city."