Gravel/Road Bike Recommendations

Hey all,

I'm looking for a bike to ride around the North East Ohio area, primarily on nicely paved trails, but also able to handle the Ohio Towpath, which has some stretches of crushed gravel and limestone, as well as somewhat hilly terrain (at least by Ohio standards). I plan to ride for fitness and leisure, and don't plan to compete in any races, bikepack, extreme long-distance, etc.

Having only ever had crappy, heavy, department-store bikes, I'm not sure how much I should be spending before I hit serious diminishing returns. In researching, I compiled a list of some of the entry/mid-range gravel bikes and road bikes w/ clearance for larger tires. My issue is that I'm struggling to decide what features are important to me. Like, as a beginner to "real" cycling, will I even be able to tell the difference between a full carbon fiber frame/fork versus aluminum frame/carbon fiber fork? I certainly won't be a speed demon, so would I even notice the minor differences in geometry between a Roubaix and Grizl that makes one a responsive road bike and one a versatile gravel bikes? So for my level of experience and the type of riding I'll be doing, what should drive my decision making when narrowing down models?

I'm also not sure how much it matters but I'm 5'9" (175cm), 215 lbs (97kg), which I understand is approaching the "weight limit" on some fully carbon bikes, (although I have also heard this "weight limit" is more of a legal suggestion than harsh cutoff).

I'm also open to any other recommendations for bikes you may think I should consider. Thanks!