When people travel to new places, they often choose the local museums as a must-see place. Sometimes the museums are even more attractive than the most famous place of interest. This phenomenon can be easily explained if the function of museums is taken into account. As we have known, museums can help us know the history, the customs and the most representative products of that place.

　　Different place has different history. And the most convenient way to know the history is to visit the local museum. Last year when I traveled to Xi‘an，an old city，I went to the history museum to explore the course of its development. With the background knowledge provided by the museum，I found that it was easier for me to understand the city. So the museum can clear away the barriers between tourists and the city by making them familiar with its history. To a tourist，the mostattractive part of a place is usually its customs，which can be demonstrated by the local museum.

　　In the Beijing custom museum，the real life of typical Beijingers is vividly shown. A tourist can satisfy his curiosity by knowing the origin and characteristics of the quart-yard，the most classical building in Beijing. With the help of museums，tourists can have a deeper understanding of the life of local people.

　　Every place has its own representative products，which are usually handcrafts. Tourists can have the access to a wonderful show of these handcrafts in the local museum. For example，in Jingde town，the most famous pottery-making place in China，tourists can be excited by the beautiful pottery products and the complicated making process exhibited in the pottery museum. It will be a pity for a tourist not to experience the wonderful show of the local products in the museum.

　　In a word，museums serve as a bridge between tourists and the place they travel to. That is why people are so eager to visit museums when they travel to new places.