The cemetery, with its sadness, is often seen as a quiet place that exists mainly to mourn the loss of loved ones. However, in the United States in the late 19th century, many people began to enter cemeteries because of the lack of proper entertainment space in towns and cities. They eat, visit and play, and cemeteries are more often seen as parks than places to mourn.
Some say it became fashionable to wander around the cemetery simply because it was an open space to enjoy the fresh air and spend time with friends and family.

By the 1920s, the trend for graveyard picnics was fading. Because public parks are becoming more common across the country. But another reason is that many cemeteries have banned picnics because of littering.