Kansas City or Rapid City?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Rapid City at least has clear water and scenery close by. Sheridan Lake, Pactola Reservoir and Sylvan Lake, set among pines and granite in the hills, make a pleasant swim stop in high summer. Kansas City has lake beaches in county parks and pools, which are fine for children on a hot afternoon but have none of that setting.

Kansas City is a food destination in a way that Rapid City is not. People travel for its hickory-smoked barbecue and burnt ends alone. The River Market's immigrant counters, the Westside's Mexican kitchens and the Crossroads breweries add range beyond the smoke.

Rapid City feeds you well after a day in the hills, with bison burgers, chislic and Indian tacos on Lakota fry bread. Outside a few more ambitious kitchens downtown, though, the choice soon narrows to steakhouses and chains.

Kansas City has much more to see. The Nelson-Atkins, with its Chinese art and Oldenburg shuttlecocks, is a museum of national standing. So are the National WWI Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball and American Jazz museums, and the city adds landmarks such as Union Station and the Country Club Plaza.

Rapid City's own sights are smaller and more local. There are the bronze presidents on the downtown corners, the Journey Museum's story of the Black Hills and the Lakota, and Badlands fossils at the School of Mines. Its famous monuments are out in the hills, so they belong to a day trip rather than a day in town.

Kansas City gives you several different kinds of evening, while Rapid City offers one small, early one. The game-night crowds of the Power and Light District, Westport's student bars and the calmer cocktail and craft-beer bars of the Crossroads each have their own character, although you need a ride between them and most of the city goes quiet outside the weekend.

In Rapid City, going out means a few blocks around Main Street Square, with brewpubs and country-music bars that wind down early. The exception is the Sturgis rally in early August, when the bars run loud and late.

Rapid City is far stronger here. The Black Hills start at the edge of town, with granite spires, pine forest and trout streams. Within an hour you can be among the bison in Custer State Park, underground in Wind Cave or walking the Badlands ridges.

Kansas City's outdoors is gentler: rolling prairie, the large green spaces of Swope Park and Loose Park, creekside trails and reservoirs for boating. It is pleasant on a spring morning, but real hiking country in the Ozarks is hours away by car.

Rapid City has some of the best-known sights in the American interior within easy reach. Mount Rushmore is about half an hour away. The Crazy Horse Memorial, gold-rush Deadwood, the Mammoth Site and the Minuteman Missile silo are all within a day's drive.

Kansas City's outings are quieter: Truman's Independence, the university town of Lawrence, the river town of Weston and the Pony Express museum in St Joseph. Both cities need a car, but Rapid City's trips are the main event rather than a half-day extra.

Both cities are easy with children, and Rapid City has the edge for families who like being outdoors. Watching bison stop the traffic, going underground on cave tours, panning for gold and digging at the Mammoth Site are things children remember. Storybook Island and the concrete dinosaurs are close to town.

Kansas City's offer is more conventional. In the warmer months there is Worlds of Fun with its water park, and the big zoo is spread out in the open. On a wet or cold day, Science City, the aquarium and the Legoland Discovery Centre around Union Station and Crown Center keep children busy indoors. In both cities, expect a lot of time in the car.

Both are car cities, but Kansas City makes it easier to manage without one. The streetcar along Main Street links the River Market, downtown, Union Station and Crown Center. If you stay on that line, a car-free day or two is realistic, with ride-hailing for the rest.

In Rapid City, only the compact downtown works on foot, and the city buses don't reach Mount Rushmore or the parks. Seasonal tour buses are the only alternative to driving. The consolation is that the hill roads, hairpins and tunnels included, are part of the pleasure.

Kansas City has more to browse. The Spanish-style courtyards of the Country Club Plaza gather chain and upmarket stores in one place you can walk. The Crossroads, the River Market and 39th Street add galleries, vintage, antiques and records.

Rapid City's shopping is narrower but more distinctive. Look for Black Hills gold jewellery with its grape-leaf designs, Lakota quillwork, beadwork and star quilts, and Western boots and hats. It is good for one meaningful souvenir rather than a day of shopping.

The overall cost is much the same, but it adds up in different ways. Kansas City's hotels are reasonable all year and the Nelson-Atkins has free general entry. A hired car, sales tax, tips and tickets for the zoo, the theme park and ball games push the bill up.

Rapid City has more free sights and cheaper motels, but its prices follow the seasons. Rooms near the hills cost more in summer and become very expensive in rally week, while late spring and early autumn are much cheaper. Fuel and park entry fees come with every day out.

Kansas City has a musical identity that Rapid City can't match. The city's own hard-swinging jazz still plays most nights in the clubs around 18th and Vine. The Kauffman Center is home to the symphony, opera and ballet, and Starlight Theatre stages Broadway musicals outdoors in summer.

Rapid City's stage life is modest, with a local symphony and touring shows at the civic centre. Its most distinctive performances are the powwows, above all the large one each autumn, and the summer plays staged among the pines of Custer State Park.

Neither city has a real spa culture, though Rapid City has the more interesting option. In Hot Springs, an hour south, bathers have used the warm spring-fed indoor pool since the 1890s, and cabin stays in the hills make it easy to slow down. Kansas City's nearest equivalent is the old mineral-water resort of Excelsior Springs, forty minutes north. Otherwise it offers hotel spas and a quiet morning in Loose Park's rose garden.