nearly native usually has some. I have some pads, but they are not cactus yet! Mine came from a neighbor

all of the ones wild in my neighborhood are simple.... just take a quick lighter (or gas burner) to the skin and it torches the little needles all off.

"Thornless prickly pear" is not a specific species, but a general condition that applies to a few different species in the genus Opuntia. I assume that you're not looking for the Mexican Opuntia ficus-indica which is the one most commonly associated with being nearly thornless (but is too tender for your location). You probably want Opuntia ellisiana which is available in your area at Thyme After Thyme in Winterville.

Luther Burbank did a great deal of experimenting with these thornless opuntia and probably produced the only hybrids that are genuinely thornless. I don't know if any of these are still around or not.

Thanks ya'll I did find them at Saul's.
I would really like to find other hardy cacti too. Any ideas?

I think you could probably speak to the fellow at Nearly Natives nursery about other hardy cactus (and also look at Plant Delights on the internet). You'll need to have your soil amended to make many of them truly hardy in all weather here. I tried a few and could not sustain them in the ground, but I probably could do so now in my huge hypertufa planter...

Thanks GGG Nearly Natives would be a weekend trip for me, but I'll have to keep it in mind when I'm passing by that way. I grow a variety of Agaves (Victoria rigina, Lophantha and Parii) but they are all in containers. I do have a spot in my hillside that would work culturally but I don't think ascetically as it is a very large mixed perennial border. I am mulling it over however.

I know this is an old thread but I have had good success with san pedro cactus and argentina saguaro for columnar cacti. There are tons of opuntia and various globular cacti that over winter here also. I live in sowega so I might be able to over winter a few more than where you live.