Baltimore or Wisconsin Dells?

Neither place is a beach destination, but Wisconsin Dells has slightly better swimming. Devil's Lake has clear water and sandy beaches at each end under quartzite bluffs, Mirror Lake and Lake Delton are close to town, and in summer the outdoor waterparks fill in for a beach.

Baltimore's harbour is a working port, not somewhere to swim. Sandy Point on the brackish bay is forty minutes away, has sea nettles in high summer and sometimes closes after heavy rain. The Atlantic surf is about three hours away.

Baltimore has a food culture worth travelling for. Blue crabs come steamed with Old Bay on brown paper, crab cakes are served all year, and there are oysters in Lexington Market, red-sauce Italian cooking in Little Italy and chef-led restaurants in Hampden and Harbor East.

In Wisconsin Dells you mostly eat between attractions, at steakhouses, buffets and pizza places. The local character comes from supper clubs with brandy old fashioneds, the Friday fish fry and squeaky cheese curds. Keen eaters save their appetite for Madison.

There is a wide gap here. Baltimore has the Cone Collection's Matisse works and the Walters' range from Egyptian antiquities to Fabergé, both free. It also has Fort McHenry, the B&O roundhouse and the rowhouse streets of Fells Point and Mount Vernon, enough for two or three full days of sightseeing.

Wisconsin Dells has the H.H. Bennett Studio, which explains how the town became a tourist spot, and some Ho-Chunk exhibits. The rest of Broadway is upside-down houses and oddity museums that children enjoy but that are not heritage.

Baltimore is a good bar town. There are old taverns around the cobbled square in Fells Point, rooftops and sports bars on Federal Hill after Orioles games, and dive bars in Station North. Clubbing is limited, and some quieter areas are best crossed by taxi at night.

In Wisconsin Dells the evening ends when the waterparks close. A few taverns, brewery taprooms and supper-club bars, plus a casino near Baraboo, are about all there is, and people looking for a real night out drive to Madison.

Wisconsin Dells has the more striking landscape on its doorstep. Boats and canoes pass through the sandstone canyons the town is named after, and Devil's Lake has bluff trails over boulders and serious rock climbing. Autumn colour and winter skiing make it worth visiting outside summer too.

Baltimore's outdoors is gentler and mostly about water. You can paddle the harbour, sail the Chesapeake from Annapolis or walk the wooded gorges of Patapsco Valley, and bald eagles and ospreys live in the bay marshes. The Blue Ridge hills are about an hour and a half away.

Baltimore's location is a major advantage. Washington's Smithsonian museums and Philadelphia's Independence Hall are each about an hour away by train, and Annapolis, Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry and the Eastern Shore are all within reach by car.

From Wisconsin Dells the choice is smaller, and everything needs a car. The options are Madison's Capitol and lakes, Taliesin and the House on the Rock in Spring Green, and Circus World in Baraboo, with Milwaukee at the far edge of a comfortable day.

Wisconsin Dells is designed for children in a way few towns are. America's largest outdoor waterpark sits next to indoor resorts that stay warm through the winter, with go-karts, mini-golf and duck-boat rides nearby, and many hotels have slides of their own. Teenagers may get bored, and summer weekends are loud.

Baltimore gives families a strong cluster of sights around the Inner Harbor: the National Aquarium's shark ring and rainforest, the science centre and Port Discovery. These cover a few days well, but beyond the harbour the city is uneven and hot in summer.

Baltimore at least has a walkable centre. The Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Federal Hill and Little Italy are linked by a waterfront promenade and by water taxis, and trains to Washington and Philadelphia are excellent. Hampden, the zoo and the art museum are easier to reach by taxi or car.

In Wisconsin Dells you need a car for nearly everything. Apart from a few blocks of Broadway, the attractions are spread along highways that are unpleasant to walk, and there is no useful public transport.

Neither is somewhere to plan a shopping trip, but Baltimore gives better afternoons of browsing. Hampden's Avenue has vintage clothing, kitsch and local art, and Fells Point has antiques and record shops.

Wisconsin Dells sells souvenirs, fudge and cheese along Broadway, much of it the same from shop to shop. A large outlet centre for mainstream brands is useful on a rainy day.

The overall cost is similar, but the money goes on different things. In Baltimore the free museums help, and hotels are cheaper than in Washington. Restaurant bills with tip, crab feasts and frequent taxis add to the daily cost.

In Wisconsin Dells the season matters most. Summer weekends at the big resorts, with ride tickets and extras, get expensive for a family. Older motels and off-peak dates are moderate, and the state parks cost little.

Baltimore has a proper stage scene. The symphony plays at the Meyerhoff, the Peabody Institute holds frequent free concerts, the Hippodrome hosts touring Broadway shows, and small clubs in Station North put on indie and experimental music.

Wisconsin Dells offers magic shows, dinner shows and touring tribute and country acts in Lake Delton. If you want serious theatre, Spring Green's summer outdoor classical stage is about an hour away.

Wisconsin Dells is the easier place to unwind, though neither is a retreat. Its resort spas and a long-established adults-only spa in the woods give parents a day or two off, and early mornings on the river or the empty off-season lakes are peaceful.

Baltimore offers hotel spas and yoga studios in Harbor East and Hampden, and its pace is urban. The calmest moments come under the trees of Druid Hill Park or in a quiet gallery at the Walters.