I find them interesting for the stories they can tell. You can see who lived there, when an who probably knew each other and intermarried. You see ate ages at which people died, and sometimes what they died of. It might even tell you if a pandemic type illness struck the area. You see how large families were. The size of the stones or monuments tells something about status.

peaceful - but mostly a waste of land.

Though I do enjoy roaming in old ones ...

We had a pond next to a small 200 year old cemetary near my in-laws house and would go iceskating there. Cemetaries -old ones are fascinating;

A waste of resources. Am a bigger fan of Frank Herbert's "Chapterhouse" method of burial... planting trees above the dead.

They are peaceful by definition. I may have mentioned this on another thread; there's nothing more relaxing on a country bike ride than to stop at an old colonial ceremony, enjoy the cool grass, and read the headstones.

Peaceful. It's like walking through a local museum. Under each headstone lies someone with a story to tell. Each person buried had experiences, memories, happy times, sad times, and is a part of American history. There is a tragedy to cemeteries. The tragedy lies in the untold and forgotten stories. People may have gone to their graves without sharing memories, experiences, lessons, etc. Maybe no one cared to ask. Maybe someone died without having a chance to write anything down or pass on the information to someone who would've.

Kind of both. I lost my sister, brother and husband . My husband and sister were cremated but at the same cemetery. I find cemeteries depressing. Death is just an extension of life, but the pain of losing a loved one is gut-wrenching

They are a waste of good land.

I like the old ones since many are beautifully landscaped. There is one called Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville Kentucky where at first everyone was trying to have the most grandiose mausoleum and it morphed into who could have the quirkiest headstone. I have spent hours in old Victorian cemeteries and as others have said you get a special history of the place

When I'm down down and need to clear my head or get a reality check I like going out to a cemetery. Day or night and just chill talk things out with myself I guess with no one around and reevaluate. it's a nice reminder that we aren't Immortal no matter how big our ego or heads get. brings back the idea of Memento Mori and drives it home. I also like going for no other reason than to walk around. it's quite peaceful.

They’re lawns with piles of bones underneath and stone markers.

I like old English cemeteries, neglected, peaceful and returning to nature. This one is at St Clements in Cornwall.

Where else can you buy a 6 foot by 4 foot bit of land for 10 thousand dollars? other than a cemetery, gone are the days where it was $50. for a plot in the local church cemetery. I find them very cool to visit, I look at them as almost a park without all the noisy children, peaceful. When I was in mortuary college 20 years ago, I regularly studied with a fellow student at our local cemetery, we thought it was a great place to study at the time, very quiet. When I go on vaykay I look for cemeteries to visit. Recently I visited the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was amazing to see the old monuments and graves. I like cemeteries, but do not want to end up in one, just want my ashes thrown into the forest.

They are peaceful. I own a fancy drone (a Phantom 4 Pro+, which has a 20 megapixel camera and records video in 4K), and I have taken photos of a LOT of cemeteries (about 40 so far - it started off for Google Maps, but posting them started getting me quite a few followers, so I just kept posting them). They are interesting - I've photographed a boatload of old headstones (a couple from the American/Indian war, the Civil War, etc.), and some really neat ones to boot (some people go all out). I do know that it's convinced me I want to be cremated (and my family can dump my ashes anywhere - I won't be around to notice)...

I am down in the Florida Panhandle, and it's incredible the number of cemeteries that are all but forgotten - overgrown, with little else but nature causing damage. In the end, they're cool to see, but I think there'd be a sense of grief if it was family.... IMHO....

And if anyone doubts me, you can find the photos here, LOL:

[flickr.com]

I think cemeteries are so cool! Sometimes, you can find super old head stones, from the 1700s, even. I used to walk through the back of a huge cemetery every day to and from work, just because it was so quiet and beautiful. One day, I'm walking home from work, and -all of the sudden- this huge, hairy guy jumps out from behind a big tombstone about ten feet in front of me, and goes running back toward the river. Haha....they about could have dug a new hole for me right then and there! I still enjoy cemeteries (and history) though. Even though they may be right next to a busy city road, they are always eerily quiet..... and you never know who may pop up!

BOTH! It depends on the cemetery, and I like both kinds. The old Victorian cemeteries are the coolest, with their elaborate monuments and mausoleums.

I geocache as a hobby and while visiting Alabama, I found quite a large number of them hidden in or near old cemeteries which are interesting.

I even visited one on Grand Cayman which was right next to the beach

As teens we always considered them peaceful places to go and make out, does that count?

Depends on where. I went to HS and college in Louisiana, one of our favorite pastimes was munching on shrooms in the cemeteries of a New Orleans. Ah, good times.

I used to have coffee on Sundays in a nice quiet old cemetery. There are historical lessons there and they are simply beautiful.

They can also be wonderful sanctuaries for urban wildlife.

I actually love the idea of a cemetery as a park. Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book" (a play on "The Jungle Book" ) was based in a cemetery and all sorts of people visited it even when they weren't grieving. I'm pretty sure that's how it used to be and I quite liked that idea. we should bring that back.

Wow, I’m not alone? I love cemeteries, had one near my high school I’d actually curl up in between long breaks and take a nap! My friends were the ones who’d stand stones up, not push them over. Our dad would turn us loose in one of Portland Oregon’s best (Lincoln Memorial), and before finding our Great-grandparents ..we’d take turns calling out names we liked!

Now, over east in SW VA, the darn stones are wearing out! You can hardly read the oldest… Found out, in Virginia, you can legally be buried on your property! There are tiny cemeteries all over… I’ve 6 plots back in Oregon, amid the oldest pioneers of the area ...and not sure if I’ll use any.. So be careful, if you fall too deeply in love ..you could end up with the same

Very peaceful. I might be weird... Ok I am, when I say it is a great place to meditate.

Cemeteries are OK, more peaceful than creepy except at night. I had a friend who grew up in a house on the cemetery property, her dad was the caretaker. They used to go out after dark to spy on "courting" couples, and scare the beejeesus out of them if they could. Cemeteries are historical, but they are also a terrific waste of space. In Germany you get buried for X years and then your spot is reused for the next occupant.