Branson or Detroit?

Neither city has a coast, but Branson gives you more lake time. Table Rock Lake has clear, warm water from June to early September, public swim areas with sand brought in, and pontoons you can rent and anchor in a quiet cove for the day.

Detroit's swimming is more limited. There is a small beach on Belle Isle, and there is Lake St. Clair Metropark, about forty minutes' drive away, with shallow water. The season is shorter and the beaches sometimes close after heavy rain.

Detroit has a real food culture of its own, and Branson does not. The Coney Island hot dog and square, crisp-edged Detroit pizza are local fixtures, Eastern Market fills up on Saturdays, and Corktown and Midtown have modern kitchens and breweries. The deepest pleasures are in Dearborn's Arab American bakeries and grills, Mexicantown and Hamtramck's Polish bakeries.

Branson mostly serves buffets, chains along Highway 76 and set dinners at the theatres. The Ozark touches are worth seeking out: skillet cooking, cinnamon bread, fudge and fresh trout.

Detroit wins easily. The Detroit Institute of Arts alone justifies a visit, Diego Rivera's industry murals fill its courtyard, and the Motown house, the Charles H. Wright Museum and the Henry Ford complex in Dearborn tell big American stories. Downtown's early skyscrapers, the Guardian Building and the Fisher Building in particular, are sights in themselves.

Branson offers wax museums and novelty galleries along the strip. The most authentic heritage is the frontier craftsmanship you can watch at the 1880s-themed park, along with the Ralph Foster Museum.

After the curtain falls, Branson goes to bed. Its audience of families and older couples heads back to the hotels, and only a few brewpubs by the lakefront stay open.

Detroit, the birthplace of techno, still has warehouse parties, small serious clubs and after-hours nights, plus dive and cocktail bars in Corktown, Midtown and downtown. The scene is scattered, so expect taxis between neighbourhoods, and weeknights are quiet.

Branson has the better outdoors by some way. The Ozark plateau around it is all wooded ridges, limestone bluffs, caves and clear streams, with kayaking and bass fishing on Table Rock Lake, trout below the dam and good walking in Hercules Glades. The Buffalo National River's bluffs are a two-hour drive away.

Detroit is flat, so its outdoors are about water and parks. You can visit Olmsted's Belle Isle, cycle the RiverWalk, and find trails and birdwatching in the outer metroparks, but there are no hills, and the long winters cut the season short.

The two are broadly level, and both need a car. From Branson the best outings are Victorian Eureka Springs, stacked on its steep streets, and Crystal Bridges, a major collection of American art set in the woods at Bentonville. There is also the Civil War battlefield at Wilson's Creek.

Detroit's options are different. You can cross into Canada at Windsor, spend a day in the university town of Ann Arbor or at Toledo's excellent art museum, or visit Bavarian-styled Frankenmuth. Neither city has a first-rank site within easy reach.

Branson is built for children in a way Detroit is not. Roller coasters, water parks, zip lines, go-karts, cave tours and a paddlewheel showboat all sit within a short drive of each other. The theatre shows are kept family-friendly on purpose.

Detroit has good single attractions: the big zoo with its polar bear tunnel, the hands-on science centre, and Greenfield Village's steam trains. They are spread across the metro area, though, and winter limits what you can do outdoors.

Detroit is a little easier without a car, though only in the centre. The People Mover and the QLine streetcar link downtown, the riverfront, the stadiums and the Midtown museums, and that core is pleasant on foot.

In Branson a car is essential from the moment you land in Springfield. The theatres and hotels are spread along hilly Highway 76, where the pavements are patchy and traffic crawls in the evenings, so locals use the colour-coded back roads.

Detroit has the edge, mainly for its independent makers. Corktown and Midtown sell Detroit-made watches, leather goods and prints, alongside vintage shops, but you have to drive out to the suburban mall for the big brands.

Branson's shopping is mostly outlets and the mainstream stores at Branson Landing. What sets it apart is Ozark craftwork such as hand-blown glass, quilts and ironwork, often made in front of you.

Overall costs end up much the same, but they come from different places. In Branson the motels, condos and cabins are cheap, but you pay for every show, theme park and boat, which adds up over a week. Show and hotel packages can take some of the sting out.

In Detroit the hotels are cheap for a big American city, and so are Coney dogs and Middle Eastern meals. Most of the main sights are reached by the inexpensive streetcar. Expect to pay more for downtown rooms on game and concert nights. Tips, a hire car and parking add up in both cities.

Both are strong for live performance, in completely different ways. Branson has dozens of theatres staging shows from morning to night: country and bluegrass family acts, gospel quartets, tribute shows and large biblical productions with live animals. Polished and wholesome, but narrow.

Detroit offers range. There is the symphony in Orchestra Hall, a full opera season, touring Broadway at the Fisher Theatre and concerts in the gilded Fox. It also has long-running jazz clubs, a free jazz festival and small venues that keep the soul and rock tradition alive.

Branson is the better place to slow down, as long as you stay by the lake. The lodge resorts on Table Rock Lake have full spas, and a cabin on a wooded cove is genuinely quiet, though the neon strip is not.

Detroit runs on work, sport and music. Your options are a hotel spa or a slow afternoon on Belle Isle or the RiverWalk.