Heath Roberts wrote:
I've recently become enamored of the Twin Beech, but have so far only
admired it from a distance.

Does anyone know of one near RDU (Raleigh/Durham, NC) with an owner
who might like to show me around, or even better, go for a short
flight? I'm paying for fuel, of course...

Not right on your doorstep, but:

vancouver island air in cambell river

http://www.vancouverislandair.com/

has one on floats, which is running in scheduled service. You can join their
daily "milk run" just for fun if a seat is available. Very cheap, compared
to dedicated scenic flights. They call it "flightseeing", I did it some time
back and it was a blast.

regards,
Friedrich