Branson or Breckenridge?

Neither has a coast, but Branson at least has a summer swimming season. Table Rock Lake warms up from June to early September, and you can swim from public beaches of imported sand or from a rented pontoon in a quiet cove. Lake Taneycomo, beside the town, stays cold and is for trout fishing, not swimming.

Breckenridge, at almost 3,000m, has no outdoor swimming worth planning around. Lake Dillon is for sailing and paddling, and the snowmelt lakes up the valley are bracing at best. A swim there means the indoor pools at the recreation centre.

Breckenridge eats somewhat better. Along Main Street, a handful of chef-led kitchens cook Colorado lamb, elk and bison, with sushi, Mexican food and wood-fired pizza for variety. The town also brews its own beer and distils whiskey.

Branson's food is mostly about filling plates: buffets, national chains on Highway 76 and set meals at dinner shows. Its tastier moments are Ozark ones, like skillet cooking, cinnamon bread, fudge and fresh trout. Neither is a reason to travel, but in Breckenridge you have more choice in the evening.

Neither has much here, but what each has is different. Breckenridge has real history: a large gold-rush district of painted Victorian storefronts and miners' cabins, plus a mine tour where you can pan for gold. It's an afternoon's walk.

Branson's sights are 20th-century entertainment, such as wax museums and novelty galleries along the strip. For heritage, look to the frontier crafts shown at the 1880s-themed park and the eclectic Ralph Foster Museum. If you want a historic street, go to Breckenridge. Branson offers folk crafts instead.

Breckenridge has much more going on after dark. In ski season the bars at the foot of the lifts fill with people still in their ski boots. On a winter Saturday the brewpubs, the saloons in old Victorian buildings and a couple of dance bars stay busy past midnight. Spring and autumn are much quieter.

In Branson the evening is the show. When the theatres empty, families and older couples go back to their hotels, and there are only a few brewpubs by the lakefront. Neither town has clubs.

This is Breckenridge's strongest suit. Five peaks of the Tenmile Range rise straight above the town, with Keystone, Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin nearby for skiing. In summer, hiking and biking trails climb through aspen woods and wildflower meadows to the treeline and up Quandary Peak. The one catch is the thin air.

Branson's Ozark countryside is softer and lower: wooded ridges, limestone bluffs, caves, and Table Rock Lake for kayaking and bass fishing. Its best scenery, along the Buffalo National River, is two hours' drive away, and the summer humidity means walking early in the day.

The day-trip options are about even, but they suit different tastes. From Branson you can visit Eureka Springs, a Victorian spa town of stone buildings on steep streets, and Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, a serious American art museum in the woods.

From Breckenridge the outings are about mining history: Leadville over Hoosier Pass, then Georgetown's narrow-gauge railway and the hot springs at Idaho Springs. Denver is a long drive away. In both cases you'll need a car, and Breckenridge's mountain roads can be slow in winter.

Branson is built for children in a way Breckenridge isn't. The Ozarks-themed park with its roller coasters, the water parks, the aquarium, the paddlewheel showboat and the zip lines can easily fill a week. Hotels and restaurants expect children, and the shows are family-friendly by design.

Breckenridge works well for families who come to ski, with ski schools for young children and gentle beginner slopes. In summer there's an alpine coaster on the mountain. Altitude sickness and the hassle of winter gear can be hard on small children, though, and there's little else made for them.

Breckenridge is far easier without a car. The historic centre is compact, a free gondola runs from Main Street to the slopes, and free buses cover both the town and its neighbours in Summit County. The hard part is getting there: around two hours from Denver's airport over I-70.

Branson is spread along Highway 76 and its bypass roads across hilly ground, with patchy pavements and traffic that crawls on show nights. You'll need a hire car from the moment you land in Springfield.

Branson has a little more to offer, mostly practical. Branson Landing by the lake has mainstream stores, outlet malls on the strip sell discounted brands, and you can buy glass, quilts and ironwork from Ozark craftspeople who make them in front of you.

Breckenridge's Main Street is better for ski gear and technical clothing, with galleries selling Western landscapes, but resort prices apply. Most bargain hunters drive to the outlets in Silverthorne.

Branson costs a good deal less. There are lots of motels, condos and lake cabins, and buffets keep meals cheap. What adds up is the paid entertainment: show tickets, theme park entry and boat hire, plus a car you can't do without.

Breckenridge in ski season is as expensive as any ski resort, with slope-side rooms, lift tickets, equipment hire and lessons, and the Christmas, New Year and spring-break weeks are dearer still. Summer and the quieter spring and autumn months cost far less, and the free buses, gondola and trails help.

Shows are the reason people go to Branson. Dozens of theatres on Highway 76 put on country, bluegrass, gospel, variety and tribute acts all day long, and the Christmas shows draw as many visitors as summer. If that style isn't for you, there's little else, with no opera and almost no classical music.

Breckenridge has the classical music Branson lacks, but only in summer: a festival orchestra and a national orchestra academy perform at the open-sided Riverwalk Center by the river. In winter there's little beyond bands in the bars.

Neither town has a bathing tradition, so in both, relaxing depends on where you stay. In Branson, that means a lodge with a spa on Table Rock Lake or a cabin on a wooded cove, well away from the neon of the strip.

In Breckenridge, it means a hot tub in the snow after a day of skiing, and natural hot springs are about an hour away at Idaho Springs. The town's early starts and thin air make summer evenings and the quieter in-between months the most restful times there.