Kansas City or Minneapolis?

Neither city has a coast, but Minneapolis has real swimming right in town. Lake Harriet, Bde Maka Ska and Lake Nokomis have sandy strips with lifeguards, and on a summer evening you can be in the water after a short bike ride. The season is short, though, roughly late June to early September.

Kansas City is more than 1,000km from the sea. Its swimming means lake beaches in county parks on the edge of the metro area, plus pools. That is enough for a hot afternoon with children, but it isn't a reason to come.

Both cities eat well, but in different ways. Kansas City has one cooking style worth travelling for: hickory-smoked barbecue with thick, sweet sauce and burnt ends, plus the steakhouses left from its cattle-town past. Away from the smokehouses, food is more ordinary.

Minneapolis has no signature dish to match. Its best food comes from immigrant kitchens, with Somali, Ethiopian, Mexican and Vietnamese places along Lake Street and Eat Street, and Hmong markets you won't find in many American cities. If you want variety, go to Minneapolis. If you want barbecue, Kansas City is the place.

These two are evenly matched, and each needs two or three days. They differ in emphasis. Kansas City's sights are about history as much as art. Beside the Nelson-Atkins and its Chinese collection, it has the WWI museum under the Liberty Memorial tower and the Negro Leagues and jazz museums at 18th and Vine.

Minneapolis leans towards art and design. The Walker is a leading modern art museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art is free, and the Spoonbridge and Cherry stands in the Sculpture Garden. Its history is industrial and sits together along the riverfront, at the Mill City ruins and the Stone Arch Bridge, whereas Kansas City's sights are spread out.

Neither is a party city, and a night out is equally friendly in both. Kansas City's busiest spot is the Power and Light District, an enclosed block of big sports bars that gets loudest on game nights. Westport has a rougher student bar strip, and you'll need a ride between districts.

Minneapolis is more about breweries. Taprooms in Northeast and cocktail bars in North Loop warehouses are the core, and summer patios and rooftops are the best of it. Winter empties its streets more than Kansas City's.

Minneapolis is clearly the better pick for time outdoors. The Grand Rounds, about 80km of paths, links lakes, Minnehaha Falls and the wooded Mississippi gorge with hardly a road crossing. Winter adds cross-country skiing and skating on frozen lakes, and the rock bluffs of the St Croix valley are about an hour away.

Around Kansas City the land is gentle prairie and farmland. In town, Swope Park is huge and Loose Park has its rose garden, and reservoirs at the edge of the metro area offer boating and wooded walks. That suits a gentle afternoon, not an outdoors trip.

Neither city has famous sights nearby, and both lists are short. Minneapolis has the more convenient first choice: St Paul's Capitol, cathedral and Summit Avenue mansions are a light-rail ride away. Stillwater on the St Croix, or the drive down to Lake Pepin, adds river scenery.

Kansas City's outings are about history and need a car. Truman's home in Independence is one, Weston's antebellum houses are another, and St Joseph has the Pony Express and Jesse James. Lawrence's university main street is about forty minutes west.

Both work well with children, and in both you'll be driving between attractions. Kansas City is a warm-weather choice. Worlds of Fun and its water park, the big zoo and summer fountains keep children outside, while Science City and the aquarium and Legoland centre at Crown Center cover a rainy day.

Minneapolis is better prepared for bad weather. The Mall of America has an indoor amusement park and aquarium and can be reached by light rail. St Paul adds the science and children's museums, and summer brings lake beaches and paddle boats.

Minneapolis is far easier without a car. Two light-rail lines connect the airport, the Mall of America, downtown and St Paul, the skyways let you cross downtown indoors in winter, and protected bike lanes reach the lakes and river. A car is still needed for the river towns.

Kansas City is built for driving. The streetcar along Main Street covers the River Market, downtown, Union Station and Crown Center. Beyond that, buses are infrequent and pavements soon run out, so most visitors hire a car.

Minneapolis is better for shopping. The Mall of America puts hundreds of stores under one roof within a train ride of downtown, and Minnesota charges no sales tax on clothing. North Loop boutiques and Northeast makers' studios cover the independent side.

Kansas City's main draw is the setting of the Country Club Plaza, whose 1920s Spanish-style towers and courtyards hold mostly chain stores. There are also galleries and vintage shops in the Crossroads. Souvenirs mostly mean barbecue sauce.

Both are reasonably priced for American cities without being cheap. Each has a free flagship art museum, and both add tax and a tip to every bill. Where your money goes depends on how you get around. In Kansas City the hire car is close to unavoidable, and for a family the theme park, zoo and ballgame tickets add up.

In Minneapolis, cheap light rail, free lakes and parks, and good-value immigrant food mean a car-free stay keeps costs down. Watch for convention and big-game dates, when hotel prices go up.

Minneapolis has the broader and deeper stage. The Guthrie, with its bridge cantilevered over the Mississippi, leads a large circuit of theatres, from the Hennepin Avenue houses to the Children's Theatre Company. The Minnesota Orchestra and the Ordway companies cover the classical side, and First Avenue carries Prince's rock legacy.

Kansas City offers one strong thing in particular: jazz. The swinging, blues-rooted style of Basie and Parker still plays in small clubs, often with late jam sessions. The Kauffman Center provides a solid symphony, opera and ballet season around it.

Neither is a spa destination, but Minneapolis has a tradition of its own. Settlers from Scandinavia and Finland brought the sauna, and in winter public saunas go up on frozen lakes for a hot-and-cold round with a plunge in the ice. A slow walk around a lake at dusk does the rest.

Kansas City has hotel and day spas, and the old mineral-water resort of Excelsior Springs is about forty minutes north. Its quiet spots are a morning in Loose Park's rose garden or the Nelson-Atkins sculpture park.