Breckenridge or Dallas?

Neither city is a beach destination, and both are far inland. The real difference is the water. Dallas's big reservoirs, such as Lewisville and Grapevine Lake, have plain sandy park beaches and warm water all summer. Lake Dillon near Breckenridge stays too cold for swimming even in July, so a swim there means an indoor pool or a hot tub.

Breckenridge feeds hungry skiers well enough along Main Street, with chef-led menus built on elk, bison and Colorado lamb, green chile at breakfast and beer brewed in town. There is no food tradition behind it, though, and in the busiest winter weeks tables are hard to get.

Dallas eats far better. Brisket and ribs sold by weight at barbecue counters, Tex-Mex with frozen margaritas, taco trucks in Oak Cliff and serious steakhouses make up a real regional tradition. The suburbs widen the range with rows of Vietnamese restaurants in Richardson and Garland and a Koreatown in Carrollton, though nearly all of it needs a car.

Dallas has the sights. Visitors from everywhere come for the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. The Arts District puts the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Crow Museum within a few blocks, and the Art Deco halls of Fair Park are a short trip further out.

Breckenridge has a gold-rush past rather than collections: painted Victorian storefronts, miners' cabins, a mine tour where you can pan for gold and the remains of the old dredges. You can see it in an afternoon's walk, while Dallas fills a couple of full days.

Evenings in Breckenridge start in ski boots, with après-ski at the lift bases and on Main Street, then brewpubs and a couple of dance bars that stay open late on winter Saturdays. In spring and autumn the town goes almost silent after dinner.

A night out in Dallas is bigger, and it goes on all year, spread over several districts that each draw their own crowd. Deep Ellum has dive bars and late crowds, Uptown has cocktail lounges and Lower Greenville has rooftop patios. Everything stops serving at 2am, and getting from one district to another usually means a ride-hail.

This is where Breckenridge pulls far ahead. Its ski area covers five peaks directly above the town, with Keystone, Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin close by. In summer, trails climb from the edge of town through aspen woods, and Quandary Peak, one of Colorado's 4,000m summits, is a short drive away. The one cost is the thin air at almost 3,000m.

Dallas has flat blackland prairie, the loop trail around White Rock Lake, the Katy Trail and the Great Trinity Forest. They are good for a morning run or bike ride but rarely dramatic, and in summer the heat pushes everything to dawn.

From Breckenridge, the old silver-boom town of Leadville, Georgetown's narrow-gauge railway and Vail Village all make good days out. Beyond those the choices are mostly other ski resorts, and winter roads can make any drive much longer.

The stronger single outing is Fort Worth, under an hour from Dallas by car or commuter train. The longhorn drive at the Stockyards and the Kimbell Art Museum fill a day that feels very different from Dallas, and courthouse-square towns such as McKinney and Denton add more.

Dallas has more to fill a week with children. Arlington has Six Flags and a water park, there are two large zoos, and the Perot Museum and the Dallas World Aquarium are close by. The summer heat and the constant driving do wear families down.

Breckenridge suits families who come to ski. It has ski schools for young children, gentle beginner slopes and a summer activity park on the mountain. Away from the slopes there is little for children, and the altitude and cold-weather gear make the logistics harder.

Breckenridge is far easier to get around once you are there. The compact centre is walkable, a free gondola runs to the ski base, and free buses reach Frisco, Keystone and Copper Mountain, so a car is optional. The hard part is the two-hour drive from Denver's airport, which snow can make much longer.

Dallas is the opposite. The DART light rail is handy from the airports and for Deep Ellum and Fair Park, but the sights lie miles apart along freeways, and most visitors rent a car or use ride-hailing.

Dallas is a real shopping city. Neiman Marcus was founded here, NorthPark Center is a large mall with a wide range of labels, and the European fashion houses gather at Highland Park Village. Western boots and hats are sold everywhere, from everyday shops to custom makers.

Breckenridge's Main Street offers ski gear, galleries of Western landscapes and souvenirs at resort prices. For more, you drive to the outlet malls in Silverthorne.

Dallas is much easier on the budget. Hotels away from Uptown and downtown are reasonably priced, barbecue and tacos make cheap meals, and many museums are free or cheap. The main extra cost is a hire car or ride-hails.

In the ski season Breckenridge costs as much as any ski vacation, from condos near the slopes to lift tickets, lessons and equipment hire, and the Christmas, New Year and spring-break weeks cost the most. Summer and the quiet months of spring and autumn are much cheaper, and the free buses and gondola help.

Breckenridge's best music comes in summer, when orchestral and chamber concerts fill the open-sided Riverwalk Center by the Blue River. Outside July and August there are bar bands, the odd touring act and a small local theatre company.

Dallas offers a full programme all year in the Arts District. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra plays in I. M. Pei's Meyerson Symphony Center, and the Winspear Opera House stages the Dallas Opera and touring Broadway shows. Deep Ellum, a blues and jazz district since the 1920s, has bands in its clubs most nights.

Neither city is a place to come for rest, but they offer different ways to unwind. In Breckenridge, the evening ritual is an outdoor hot tub steaming in the snow after skiing, and there are natural hot springs about an hour away at Idaho Springs.

Dallas has polished hotel spas and a large Korean-style bathhouse in the north of the city where you can spend a whole day. The thin air leaves many Breckenridge visitors tired, while in Dallas the fast pace and constant driving get in the way of rest.