There are many reasons for visiting nearby natural environments, including the opportunity to get away from everyday places and to go away to nearby natural places for moments of privacy in our lives. This study surveyed 422 visitors to four metroparks in Cleveland, Ohio, to investigate the construct of being away and its association with the desire, achievement, and functions of privacy during on-site visits. Results indicated that being away-from and being away-to are distinct concepts in the minds of visitors and that attributes of being away-to are more important than attributes of being away-from. The importance of the being away phenomenon had a significant association with visitors’ desire for privacy, the level of privacy achieved, and the functions that privacy served. It was concluded that when researching the privacy benefits (functions) of urban forest visitors, one also should investigate the role of being away on privacy desired and achieved and on functions served.
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