Austin or Branson?

Neither city offers a beach vacation, and the swimming each one has is about equally limited. Austin's is cold spring water in the middle of town: Barton Springs and Deep Eddy are good for a bracing dip on any warm day, and Lake Travis is the place for boat days.

Branson's swimming is all on Table Rock Lake, at public swim areas with sand brought in and from pontoons moored in coves. It only works from June to early September, and Lake Taneycomo in town is too cold for anything but trout fishing.

Austin is a far better place to eat. Post-oak brisket, breakfast tacos, queso and frozen margaritas give it a local cuisine worth travelling for. Food trucks and beer gardens make casual eating easy, and East Austin and South Congress cover the more ambitious end.

In Branson, food is mostly fuel. You will eat fried chicken, catfish and buffets in big portions, with chains along Highway 76 and set menus at the dinner theatres. Fresh lake trout and Ozark skillet cooking are the highlights, but there is no café or fine-dining culture to plan evenings around.

Austin has the more serious sights, though it is not a heritage city. The pink granite State Capitol and the museums around the university campus, especially the Harry Ransom Center with its Gutenberg Bible, are worth a day or two.

Branson's sights are novelty attractions on the strip, such as wax museums and the museum shaped like a liner's bow. Its real heritage is Ozark folk craft, demonstrated at the frontier-themed park and the Ralph Foster Museum. That is fun, but it is a thin reason to visit.

Here the two are worlds apart. Austin's nights are a main reason to go, with crowded Sixth Street, the bungalow bars of Rainey Street and the dive bars and beer gardens of the east side, all open until 2am.

In Branson, the evening is the show. Afterwards there are a few brewpubs and hotel lounges by the lakefront, and the audience of families and older couples heads to bed.

The two are close here, and the difference is in kind. Austin's outdoors start in town: you can walk the Greenbelt canyon, paddle Lady Bird Lake, watch the dusk bat flight, and drive out to Enchanted Rock's granite dome.

Branson is set in deeper, wilder country, with forested Ozark ridges, caves, bass and trout fishing, and the bluffs of the Buffalo National River further out. It is better for days on the water and autumn colour, while Austin is easier to combine with city life.

Austin has the better day trips. San Antonio, with the Alamo and its UNESCO-listed Spanish missions, is a first-rate destination, and the German-founded town of Fredericksburg, Gruene's dance hall and the Lockhart barbecue joints make easy outings into the Hill Country.

From Branson, the best outings are the stacked Victorian streets of Eureka Springs and the Crystal Bridges art museum in Bentonville. After those the list is short. In both places you need a car for every trip.

Branson is the easier choice with children because the whole town is built around them. It has a themed park with roller coasters, water parks, an aquarium, zip lines and go-karts, and dinner shows with horses and stunts.

Austin is relaxed and welcoming, but it has fewer attractions of its own: Zilker Park's miniature train, the Thinkery and the bat flight. For theme parks, families drive to San Antonio or New Braunfels.

You will want a car in both, but Austin is slightly easier without one. Downtown, the Capitol and Rainey Street can be walked, and buses, a commuter rail line, rental bikes and scooters cover some short trips.

In Branson, everything is strung out along the hilly Highway 76 strip, where pavements are patchy and there is no useful public transport. Most visitors pick up a hire car at Springfield airport and learn the back roads to avoid the evening traffic.

Character against convenience is what separates the two. South Congress Avenue and the east side give Austin independent boutiques, vintage clothing and proper Western wear, from cowboy boots to pearl-snap shirts, so it is the better place for an afternoon of browsing. The big brands are kept to a mall on the northern edge of the city.

Branson's shopping is practical: mainstream stores in the lakefront district on Lake Taneycomo, outlet malls along the strip and plenty of fudge and novelty souvenirs. What stands out is Ozark craft, such as hand-blown glass, quilts and woodcarving, often made while you watch.

Branson is the cheaper of the two. With plenty of motels, condos and lake cabins, and meals mostly at buffets, the basics stay modest. The costs mount through show tickets, park entry and boat hire, so a busy week can still add up.

Austin's hotels charge big-city prices and climb sharply during festival weeks. It does give more away for free, though: the Capitol, the Greenbelt trails and the bat flight cost nothing, and tacos keep meals affordable.

Both towns are built on live performance, but Austin offers much more variety. Blues, indie, Texas country and conjunto play in clubs and honky-tonks every night, often free. There is also the Austin City Limits tradition, and the Long Center hosts symphony, opera and ballet.

Branson stages polished shows from morning to night, from gospel quartets and bluegrass family acts to tribute shows and biblical spectaculars. The performers are skilled, but the style is narrow and wholesome, with no opera or serious theatre.

Neither has a bathing tradition, and Austin is slightly the more restful. The city has a relaxed pace, a strong yoga culture, shady patios, and spa resorts on Lake Austin and in the Hill Country.

In Branson, relaxing depends on where you stay. Lodge spas and quiet cabins on Table Rock Lake are genuinely peaceful, while the neon and traffic of the strip are not.