Asheville or Ocean City, Maryland?

On this point the two are about as far apart as two places can be. Ocean City is built around its beach: a wide band of soft sand facing the Atlantic, with public access at almost every street, moderate surf for bodyboarding, and wilder dune-backed beach on Assateague just to the south.

Asheville has nothing comparable. Its summer swimming is a half-day outing to Sliding Rock, a waterfall pool in Pisgah, a float down the French Broad or the small beach at Lake Lure, and the water is cold even in July.

Asheville is the better place to eat and drink. Its breweries reach from downtown to West Asheville, and its kitchens cook from the Appalachian farms: trout, heirloom corn, ramps, barbecue and biscuits, served in chef-led dining rooms as well as at casual counters.

Ocean City's strength is narrower but memorable. A paper-covered table of steamed blue crabs with Old Bay, followed by boardwalk fries and frozen custard, is the meal to have. Beyond seafood it falls back on diners and chains, and many kitchens close or cut back once summer ends.

Asheville gives you plenty to see for two or three days. The Biltmore Estate fills a full day on its own, and the downtown of domed City Hall, the Grove Arcade and the Basilica of St Lawrence is a rare intact set of 1920s architecture. The Folk Art Center and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial add more.

Ocean City has little beyond its boardwalk, the Life-Saving Station Museum and the historic carousel at the inlet, which take a morning between them.

The two are fairly level here, but the evenings are very different. Asheville's nights are relaxed and sociable: taprooms, cocktail bars and dives within walking distance on the South Slope and downtown, local bars on Haywood Road, and most of it winding down around midnight all year round.

Ocean City is louder, younger and seasonal. Sand-floored bayside bars fill at sunset, dance bars along the Coastal Highway run until 2am, and recent school graduates take over in early June. From October the scene shrinks to a few locals' bars.

Asheville has much the stronger outdoors. Within an hour you can be on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the grassy balds of Max Patch, the summit of Mount Mitchell or the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah adds some of the country's best mountain biking, and three rivers offer rafting.

Ocean City's nature is flat and open, mostly sky and water. Its best side is Assateague, with wild ponies, birding and kayak routes through the marsh, along with calm bays for paddleboarding and a long tradition of offshore marlin fishing.

Neither city has major towns within reach, but Asheville has the better outings. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian and Oconaluftee village offer real depth, Brevard opens onto waterfall country, and Greenville gives you a lively riverside downtown. Many of the best drives are simply into the mountains.

From Ocean City the choices are quieter seaside and country towns: historic Berlin, the pony island of Chincoteague, Rehoboth Beach for its restaurants, and Lewes, from which a ferry crosses to Cape May.

Ocean City is the easier family resort. It has a beach with lifeguards, two boardwalk amusement parks, water parks, go-karts and mini-golf every few blocks, and condo rentals with kitchens make a longer stay simple. Plan around peak summer weekends and the early June graduation crowds.

Asheville suits active children better than young ones who want rides. Bears and red wolves at the Nature Center, river tubing, zip lines and the Biltmore farmyard fill the days, but there is no theme park nearer than Dollywood, and you will spend a lot of time in the car.

Both are car towns, and most visitors will drive in either. In Asheville the compact downtown is pleasant to walk, if hilly, but the Biltmore Estate, the Parkway and the trailheads are scattered along slow, winding mountain roads.

Ocean City is one long strip instead. A summer bus runs along the highway and a tram along the boardwalk, and the beach is a few minutes from almost any street. Moving between neighbourhoods on foot means walking beside a wide, busy road, though.

Asheville is far the better place to buy something worth taking home. Pottery, glass, weaving and woodwork come from the studios of the River Arts District and the galleries downtown, and there are independent bookshops and vintage clothing around the Grove Arcade and Lexington Avenue.

Ocean City's shopping is T-shirts, surf gear, taffy and fudge along the boardwalk. The outlet centre across the bridge is its one advantage, for anyone after mainstream brands.

Overall costs are similar, but you save money in different ways. In Asheville the inns are expensive and rise sharply on autumn weekends, and Biltmore admission and a hire car add up. The trails, waterfalls and Parkway, however, cost nothing, and midweek or winter stays are cheaper.

In Ocean City the beach and the town bus are free. Older motels a few blocks back from the sea, or a condo shared by a group, keep costs down. Late May and September bring lower room rates while the sea is still warm enough to swim.

Asheville is the clear choice for anyone who travels for music. Appalachian music is part of everyday life here: bluegrass and old-time jams, buskers downtown, fiddling and clogging at Shindig on the Green, and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, held since 1928. Touring indie and Americana acts play most nights.

Ocean City offers light entertainment instead: comedians and tribute bands at the convention centre theatre, free concerts at the boardwalk bandstand, and cover bands in the bars.

Asheville is the better place to rest. It has been a health retreat since the nineteenth century, and today that history shows in its yoga studios and retreat centres, in the large spas of the hillside resort hotels, and in the riverside mineral tubs at Hot Springs.

Ocean City in summer is noisy with traffic and late bar crowds. Its few day spas offer massages, but the real calm comes on an early walk along an empty northern beach in the shoulder months.