Pay What You Wish
Every visitor may visit the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) located in historic Balboa Park, without a general admission fee and can make a contribution instead. This voluntary contribution policy makes MOPA accessible to everyone based on what one wishes to pay.
Bank of America gives FREE general admission to its cardholders at over 225 museums and cultural centers around the U.S. on the first Saturday & Sunday of each month. MOPA is proud to be a Museums on Us participant.
Information & Directions
MOPA Guide
Nick Brandt: This Empty World
Nick Brandt: This Empty World
Nick Brandt: This Empty World
Encounter: Photographs by Jed Fielding
Encounter: Photographs by Jed Fielding
Legacy: Larry Friedman Collection
Legacy: Larry Friedman Collection
MOPA's mission is to inspire, educate and engage through the presentation and preservation of photography, film and video.
Parking lots are available along Space Theater Way and street parking is available along Park Blvd. Since parking may be difficult during peak times or during events, additional parking lots are located throughout Balboa Park.
A free tram service is available from the parking lots to various points throughout Balboa Park from 8:30AM - 6:00PM, with extended hours during summer months.
Service Animals. Therapy and service animals are welcome inside the Museum. Pets are not allowed.
Pencil and Sketchbook. You are welcome to sketch in the museum. We do ask that you use pencils rather than pens. Pencils and clipboards are available for loan for your convenience at the front desk.
Coat and Accessories Check: For your comfort, a Coat Check is available at the front desk to stow food, beverages, backpacks, oversized items, umbrellas and other objects not allowed in the galleries as space permits.
The Whole Family. We want children to enjoy the galleries, and strollers are welcome throughout the museum. We invite them to talk, laugh and move around freely. However, running and other physical activity in which they can hurt themselves or damage the works of art are not permitted. Children must always be accompanied by an adult.
The Museum of Photographic Arts recognizes that we sit on the ancestral homeland of the Kumeyaay Nation, past and present. The Museum extends its respect and gratitude to the Kumeyaay peoples who call these lands home.