Traveling is not only fun - you actually learn a lot, not only about the places you visit but about yourself as well.
I would definitely encourage you to venture further afield than just into another state - I realize that all states have their own "flavor", but they're still in the US, they're still under the same federal politics, they still use American currency and they still speak English. You can get quite reasonable flights to European countries these days, or even try Canada (you can drive up if you're close enough to the border).
Americans unfortunately have the reputation around the world of arrogance and ignorance about non-American countries, cultures, philosophies, geographies, etc. Yes, the US is a mighty world power, but that doesn't mean less powerful countries have nothing to teach us on a whole lot of different levels. They have fascinating histories that begin millennia before the US even existed, and delving into some of that provides a lot of perspective.