Despite widespread technological advancement, public botanic gardens continue to serve a wide variety of purposes and provide unique and irreplicable experiences to visitors. Through a deeper understanding of visitors and their motivations, gardens can appeal more effectively to attendees, while also providing them with the best experience possible. This study consisted of 50 in-person interviews conducted at five botanic gardens throughout the United States, incorporating means- end theory, with the objectives of identifying outcomes associated with garden visitation, identifying how outcomes differ between demographic groups and determining the relationship between stress-relief and public garden visitation. The most associated attributes amongst visitors were garden management and activities. The most associated consequences were new experiences and learning and stress relief and relaxation. The most associated values were fun and enjoyment of life and an improved quality of life. Differences among motivations were found when comparing visitors by broad age range and group size. The results also suggested that botanic gardens have the potential to serve as hubs of stress-relief and relaxation, with the attributes of physical environment and garden management frequently associated with the consequence of stress-relief and relaxation.