Gatlinburg or Kansas City?

Neither city is anywhere near a coast, so swimming is a summer extra in both. The difference is in kind. Gatlinburg has cold, clear mountain rivers for tubing and wading, while Kansas City has sandy lake beaches in county parks and ordinary public pools. The river pools near Townsend are more of an adventure, but the Kansas City lakes are calmer for small children.

Kansas City is the better place to eat by a long way, mostly because of barbecue. Hickory-smoked meat, sweet molasses sauce and burnt ends turn lunch into something you plan around. The steakhouses, the River Market's mix of cuisines and the Westside's Mexican cooking add range.

Gatlinburg feeds visitors rather than food lovers. Expect pancake houses, Southern comfort food and fudge along the Parkway, with moonshine tastings as the local drink. Good Appalachian trout or country ham does turn up, but you have to look for it.

Kansas City has a real museum circuit. It runs from the Nelson-Atkins and its Chinese art to the WWI Museum under the Liberty Memorial and the Negro Leagues and jazz museums at 18th and Vine. Union Station and the Spanish-style Plaza give the city some architecture worth seeing too.

Gatlinburg's main street is made up of observation towers and amusements. Its heritage lies in the working studios of the Arts and Crafts Community and in the log cabins and mills of Cades Cove and the Roaring Fork, which are outings into the park rather than sights in town.

Kansas City gives you an actual night out. There are sports bars in the Power and Light District, student bars in Westport and quieter cocktail and craft beer bars in the Crossroads, though it's quiet early on weeknights. Gatlinburg's evenings are a stroll along the lit Parkway, a moonshine tasting and an early night, and the street is empty by late evening.

This is Gatlinburg's great strength. Within minutes of town you are in hardwood forest on the trails to Laurel Falls or Alum Cave. Clingmans Dome rises to about 2,025m, and black bears, deer and elk live in the park. Wildflowers in spring and the October foliage make the seasons part of the trip, though traffic at peak times is the price.

Kansas City offers rolling prairie, the confluence of two rivers and big city parks such as Swope Park and the Loose Park rose garden. These are pleasant for a walk or a bike ride, but for proper hills you have to drive to the Ozarks.

Gatlinburg has the more rewarding drives. Asheville and the Biltmore Estate are about an hour and a half away, and the road over Newfound Gap leads to the Cherokee museum and village. Knoxville and the Bryson City railway are other options.

From Kansas City the outings are quieter half days. You could visit Truman's home in Independence, the university main street in Lawrence, the antebellum houses of Weston or the Pony Express museum in St Joseph. They're enjoyable, but none of them is a reason to plan a trip.

Gatlinburg is designed for children. Aquariums, alpine coasters, chairlift parks and mini golf line the Parkway, Dollywood is close by, and the national park adds creek wading and junior ranger badges. The downside is queues and traffic jams in high season.

Kansas City is good with children too, and calmer. Worlds of Fun, the zoo, Science City and Legoland Discovery at Crown Center are all easy to get to with wide roads and easy parking. They are spread across the metro area, though, so a day out involves more driving between stops.

You'll want a car in either place, but the problems are different. In Gatlinburg the downtown strip is walkable and a trolley runs to Pigeon Forge, but cabins sit up steep, winding roads and park traffic can stall in October. Kansas City's highways move easily and parking is simple. The Main Street streetcar between the River Market and Crown Center makes a car-free day or two possible if you stay along it.

Kansas City offers a bit more. The Country Club Plaza has upmarket stores in a 1920s Spanish-style setting, and the Crossroads and 39th Street have galleries, vintage clothes and records. Gatlinburg's Parkway sells taffy, T-shirts and souvenirs. Its real draw is the quilts, pottery and brooms sold straight from the makers' studios along the crafts loop, with outlet malls a short drive away.

Costs come out about the same, but they come from different places. In Gatlinburg, a big cabin shared by a group and a national park that costs little to enjoy keep the basics down, especially midweek and in winter. What pushes up a family's bill is the paid attractions and Dollywood tickets, and rates climb sharply in leaf season and over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.

In Kansas City, hotels are reasonable even downtown, and you can visit the Nelson-Atkins without paying for general entry. The bigger costs are a hired car, sales tax and a tip on every meal and bar tab, and tickets for the zoo, the theme park and ball games.

Kansas City has much more to offer here. Jazz clubs around 18th and Vine continue the swing tradition of Count Basie and Charlie Parker, often with late jam sessions. At the Kauffman Center you can hear the symphony and see the opera and ballet, and the Starlight Theatre stages musicals in summer.

Around Gatlinburg, live entertainment means dinner shows and country revues in Pigeon Forge, plus bluegrass in the moonshine tasting rooms. Mountain music is the genuine local tradition and worth hearing, but there is no orchestra or serious theatre.

Gatlinburg is the more restful stay, but not because of spas, which are limited in both places. What makes the difference is a secluded hillside cabin with a hot tub, a rocking chair and mist on the ridges. Kansas City has hotel spas and the old mineral-water resort of Excelsior Springs to the north. Otherwise, rest there means an easy morning in the rose garden or the sculpture park.