A visit to Government House is a walk into the rich and vibrant past that has made Maryland history so exciting. This house, the home of the Maryland Governors for more than 150 years, is alive with the heritage that has enriched Maryland and its people since the founding of the colony on June 20, 1632.

In addition to being the official residence of the Governors of Maryland since its unveiling in 1870, Government House has been the center of the Capital City’s political and social life.  It is here where visitors from around the state, country and world have been officially entertained. It’s furnishing, paintings and other items within its walls tell the story of Maryland's complex, rich and glorious past. Among its treasures are a portrait of George Washington, painted during the Revolutionary War by Charles Willson Peale, one of America's foremost portrait painters. A portrait of Frederick Douglass, commissioned in 2014 and painted by Simmie Knox, is prominently displayed in the main Entrance Hall.

There are seven public rooms in Government House: the Entrance Hall, the Victorian Parlor, the Federal Reception Room, the Empire Parlor, the Conservatory, the Drawing Room, and the State Dining Room. On display in Government House are many works from the state-owned art collections, installed by the Maryland Commission on Artistic Property of the Maryland State Archives.

Government House is administered by the Government House Trust which was established in 1980. In 1995, the General Assembly passed legislation to expand and strengthen the role of the Trust in the care, preservation, and interpretation of the public rooms in the residence which has played such an important role in the history of Maryland. A nonprofit Government House Foundation has now been established to augment its ongoing preservation and revitalization efforts.