Better US heat maps?

I got some really great out of the box suggestions the last time I posted here, so figured I’d throw another one to the group.

I’m trying to figure out the best way to do US-based heat maps in Excel beyond, what I at least know how to do, in the native map chart. Specifically things like:

• state level maps with county borders • point based maps with a radius / buffer (5 - 10 miles around a location) 

I know Excel isn’t a GIS tool, so not expecting anything perfect - just curious if there are any clever workarounds, add-ins, or approaches that work well.