Pettigrew State Park encompasses 16,828 acres most of which is the 16,000 acre Lake Phelps. The park offers boating, fishing, hiking, nature studies, historic structures, boat launching facilities and 13 tent/trailer sites.
Historic Somerset Place, built in 1830, still stands and is the site of an annual reunion of descendants of the 300 slaves who once worked this plantation. In the early nineteenth century, Somerset Place was one of the four largest farms in North Carolina.
Many First Nation artifacts have also been found in the area, along with two dugout canoes, possibly 4,000 years old.
Each September, Native American Heritage Week is held at Pettigrew. The history of The Algonquin and demonstrations of how they made tools, pottery and jewelry are held.