Cape May or Lake Placid?

Cape May has the real thing: a long sandy oceanfront with lifeguards, gentle surf and an Atlantic warm enough for long swims in high summer. There is quieter sand at Cape May Point, and at Sunset Beach on the bay side people hunt for Cape May diamonds.

Lake Placid's swimming is freshwater and small-scale. There is a lifeguarded patch at Mirror Lake, lakeside spots along the Saranac chain and rocky swimming holes on the Ausable. A swim is lovely after a July hike, but nobody plans a trip around it.

Seafood gives Cape May the edge. It is a working fishing port, so local scallops, flounder and oysters appear on menus from dockside shacks to dining rooms in Victorian houses, and breakfast on a veranda is part of the routine.

Lake Placid eats like a mountain resort. Main Street has brewpubs, diners, pizza and burgers, and a few lodge dining rooms offer a better meal by the water. Maple syrup and craft beer are about as regional as it gets.

Cape May's sights are its buildings. The whole town is a National Historic Landmark district of gingerbread-trimmed cottages and hotels with long porches. Add the Emlen Physick Estate and a climb up the lighthouse, and you have a satisfying day or two of looking.

Lake Placid's heritage is sport rather than architecture. It has the rink of the 1980 'Miracle on Ice' game with its Olympic museum, the ski jumps above town and John Brown's Farm just outside. Sports fans will enjoy it, but there is less to see overall.

Neither town is for late nights, but Cape May has a little more going on. Its pubs and hotel bars around the pedestrian mall and the beachfront have cover bands in summer, and the boardwalk bars of the Wildwoods are a short drive away. In Lake Placid an evening out means a beer at a Main Street brewpub after skiing, then an early night before the trail.

This is Lake Placid's great strength. The Adirondack High Peaks surround the village. You can climb Mount Marcy at 1,629m or take shorter climbs such as Cascade and Mount Jo, and there are canoe routes through the St. Regis area and fly fishing on the Ausable. Whiteface has the biggest ski vertical in the eastern United States.

Cape May's nature is flat and gentler, but it has something Lake Placid cannot offer. Its position at the tip of the peninsula makes it one of North America's great bird-migration sites, with hawks and monarch butterflies passing through in autumn and dolphin-watching boats in summer.

There is little to choose between them, but the outings are different. From Cape May you go to other towns: the ferry to colonial Lewes in Delaware, the boardwalks of the Wildwoods and Atlantic City, and Philadelphia's museums as a long day out.

From Lake Placid most excursions lead into the wilderness. The main places to visit are Saranac Lake, the Wild Center at Tupper Lake and Fort Ticonderoga, and Montreal is just over two hours away across the border. Both places need a car for nearly every outing.

Cape May is the easier family choice, especially with young children. It has lifeguarded sand, slow and safe streets, surrey rides along the promenade, crabbing on the bay and the free county zoo nearby. Some guesthouses in the historic district do not take small children.

Lake Placid suits older, active children best. It has public skating on the Olympic rinks, bobsled rides, the toboggan chute onto the frozen lake and the Whiteface ski school. The cold winters and long drives take more planning.

Cape May's centre is flat and compact. The historic district, the promenade and the Washington Street Mall are all within a short walk or bike ride, and a summer trolley helps. You will still want a car for the Point and the Wildwoods.

Lake Placid relies more on driving. The village core is walkable, but the trailheads, Whiteface and the lakes are spread across the mountains on winding roads. Buses are scarce, and you will be driving in proper winter conditions for much of the year.

Cape May is the better place for browsing. The three pedestrian blocks of the Washington Street Mall are lined with independent boutiques, bookshops and kitchen stores, and there are antique dealers and galleries in the historic district. Lake Placid's Main Street is more practical, strong on outdoor outfitters and fly-fishing shops, with rustic Adirondack décor and maple products as gifts.

Cape May is expensive in summer. B&Bs and oceanfront hotels charge premium rates, often with minimum stays, and you also pay for a beach tag and parking. Spring and autumn are kinder, and many visitors on a budget sleep in the Wildwoods and come for the day.

Lake Placid is not cheap either, but it is easier to economise there. Self-catering cabins and older motels on the edge of the village cut costs, and hiking, paddling and lake swimming are free. Lift tickets, gear hire and a rental car are the costs that add up.

Cape May has a little more to see, and it is built around theatre. One professional company plays a long season in a converted church, another stages historic American drama, and a long-running chamber music festival fills churches and small halls in late spring and early summer.

In Lake Placid, live music centres on the summer season of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, with free concerts at the bandshell by Mirror Lake. The village arts centre adds occasional shows, but for most of the year there is little to attend.

Cape May's calm comes from rocking chairs on porches, afternoon tea in guesthouse parlours and sunsets over the bay. It is at its most restful in spring and autumn, because summer weekends are busy.

Lake Placid is the more restful setting overall. The village is quiet, there is the walk around Mirror Lake, and old lodges have fireplaces and porches over still water. Lodge spas offer saunas and hot tubs after a cold day outdoors, though neither town has thermal baths.