Asheville or Atlantic City?

This is Atlantic City's clearest advantage. A wide, flat beach of pale sand runs under the Boardwalk and on through Ventnor and Margate. It is free to use and has lifeguards in summer. By late summer the open Atlantic is warm enough for long swims, though surf and rip currents call for care.

Asheville is several hours from any coast. Swimming here means mountain water: Sliding Rock, cold waterfall pools in Pisgah, tubing on the French Broad and a small sandy beach at Lake Lure. It is pleasant on a hot afternoon but no substitute for a seaside stay.

Asheville eats and drinks considerably better. There are dozens of breweries across downtown, the South Slope and West Asheville. The cooking is built on Appalachian produce such as trout, ramps and heirloom corn, along with serious barbecue. The international range is narrow, though, and the best tables need booking.

Atlantic City's food is split in two. The casino steakhouses and buffets could be anywhere. The older local food is the more interesting half: Ducktown's Italian-American restaurants, giant subs, boardwalk pizza and crab shacks on the back bays. It is hearty and fun but rarely a reason to travel.

Asheville has the deeper sightseeing. The Biltmore Estate alone takes a full day. Downtown's 1920s architecture, from the domed City Hall to the Basilica of St Lawrence, rewards a slow walk, and the Folk Art Center and Thomas Wolfe's boarding house can fill the rest of a visit.

Atlantic City's heritage is the American seaside resort itself: the original Boardwalk, the street names on the Monopoly board, Boardwalk Hall with its giant pipe organ, and Lucy the Elephant down in Margate. Most of the old hotel grandeur has been replaced by casino towers, so the sights fill a day rather than several.

Atlantic City offers the bigger and later night out. Casino lounges and gaming floors never close, and summer weekends bring resort nightclubs and pool parties. The streets between the resorts feel empty after dark, however, and midweek is quiet.

Asheville's evenings are a different kind of night out. Taprooms, cocktail bars and dive bars sit within walking distance of each other downtown and on the South Slope, the crowd is friendly, and the drum circle in Pritchard Park draws people on summer Fridays. Most places wind down around midnight.

Here Asheville is in another league. The Blue Ridge Parkway, Pisgah National Forest, Mount Mitchell and the Great Smoky Mountains all lie around the city. Ridge walks, waterfalls, mountain-biking and whitewater rafting are close by, and the spring blossom and October colour are worth planning a visit around.

Atlantic City's landscape is a flat barrier island and salt marsh. The Forsythe wildlife refuge is excellent for herons and shorebirds, and the back bays and the Pine Barrens suit kayaking and canoeing. Still, nature here is a gentle extra to the beach rather than a reason to come.

Atlantic City has the stronger day trips because of what lies within reach. Philadelphia, with Independence Hall and its museums, is about an hour and a half away. Cape May's Victorian streets are about an hour south, and Batsto and Smithville are closer still.

Asheville's outings mostly go into the mountains themselves, passing small towns such as Brevard, Black Mountain and Hendersonville. The museum and Oconaluftee village at Cherokee are the most rewarding, and Greenville has a livelier downtown, but nothing nearby matches a city like Philadelphia.

Asheville suits families better, as long as the children like being outdoors. Black bears and red wolves at the Nature Center, Sliding Rock, river tubing, zip lines and the Biltmore farmyard fill whole days. The sights are spread out, though, and there are no big rides.

Atlantic City has the beach, the rides on the Steel Pier and a small aquarium. But under-21s are not allowed on the casino floors and some blocks are rundown, so many families stay in Ocean City instead.

Both are really car destinations, but Atlantic City is easier without one. The Boardwalk is a long, level route for walking, jitney buses run along Pacific Avenue day and night, and trains link the city with Philadelphia. Only the refuge, Cape May and the Pine Barrens need a car.

In Asheville, the compact downtown, the South Slope and the River Arts District can be covered on foot, though some streets are hilly. Buses are limited, and reaching the Biltmore, the Parkway or the trailheads means driving slow, winding mountain roads, which are busy on October weekends.

Asheville is the better place to shop, as long as you want something handmade. Pottery, glass, weaving and woodwork fill the studios of the River Arts District and the galleries downtown. The Grove Arcade and Lexington Avenue add bookshops, vintage clothes and outdoor gear.

Atlantic City's shopping is practical: an outlet district of familiar brands, shopping arcades in the casinos and souvenir stalls on the Boardwalk. A box of saltwater taffy is the one thing that is truly local.

Atlantic City is generally the cheaper stay, mainly because casino hotels cut their rates sharply midweek and out of season to fill rooms. The beach, the Boardwalk and much of the entertainment cost nothing. Summer weekends are a different matter, and resort fees and parking add up.

Asheville's inns and hotels are expensive by American standards and cost even more in leaf season. The Biltmore is a costly ticket, and a hire car is close to essential. The free trails and Parkway help, and midweek or winter visits make the bill easier.

Asheville has richer live music than its size would suggest. Touring Americana and indie acts play most nights, there are bluegrass and old-time jams in pubs and buskers downtown, and in summer there are Shindig on the Green and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. Theatre and orchestral music are modest.

Atlantic City's stages are about headliners in casino showrooms and Boardwalk Hall, from pop concerts and comedians to boxing, with free beach concerts in summer. It works well for a weekend planned around one big show but has few small venues.

Asheville is by far the more restful choice. Its history as a mountain health retreat lives on in yoga studios, retreats and the large spas of the resort hotels on the hillsides. Hot Springs, about forty minutes away, has outdoor mineral-water tubs by the river. Cool evenings and quiet inn porches do the rest.

Atlantic City's spas are inside the casino hotels and are fine for an afternoon of pampering, but the round-the-clock gaming is far from soothing. Its calmest moments come on the empty Boardwalk in winter.