In former centuries, Groningen estate houses were the magnificent country seats of local nobility. They usually originated as stone houses; a simple defence work from the 14th or 15th century with thick walls where farmers could flee in times of danger. Three of them are well worth the ride. Fraeylemaborg Groningen (1300) has developed from an austere stone house into a little ‘French castle’ with an elegant tower, moat and magnificent garden. Menkemaborg is designed in an 18th-century style with a rich interior, moats, gardens, boulevards, drive way and rosarium. Another must-see is Verhildersum, with boulevards, gardens and moats. Borg Nienoord (1885) is surrounded by a park that is part of the National Carriage Museum, where approximately 300 carriages and accoutrements are on display.