Chattanooga or Cocoa Beach?

This is where the two cities differ most. Cocoa Beach sits on a barrier island with one long, wide strand of pale sand running its whole length. You get warm Atlantic water from late spring to autumn, steady small surf and quieter, wilder stretches north towards Cape Canaveral. Do watch for rip currents, and stay near the lifeguarded areas by the pier.

Chattanooga is hundreds of kilometres inland. Its swimming is in fresh water: small roped-off areas on Chickamauga Lake and at Harrison Bay State Park, plus cool creek pools up on the plateau. These are good for a hot afternoon, not for days on the sand.

Chattanooga has the better and more varied food. It serves proper Southern cooking, from meat-and-three plates and smoked brisket to biscuits and catfish. Chef-led restaurants and craft breweries cluster on the Southside and Main Street, and brunch cafés line the North Shore.

Cocoa Beach eats simply after a day in the sun: rock shrimp from Port Canaveral, fish tacos, raw bars and big breakfasts at open-air grills and dockside seafood houses. Neither city is worth a trip just for the food.

Chattanooga has a real history to explore. The 1863 battlefields are marked on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, and the old Terminal Station survives on the Southside. The Hunter Museum of American Art sits on its bluff, and the Walnut Street Bridge crosses the river on foot. It is enough for two or three full days.

Cocoa Beach has the pier, and its one great spectacle is a launch rising from Cape Canaveral, seen from the sand. For museums of any kind you have to leave town.

Both are quiet places to go out, and both wind down well before the small hours. In Chattanooga, evenings mean craft breweries, cocktail bars and patio drinking on the Southside, with Station Street as the liveliest block.

In Cocoa Beach the night happens on beach-bar decks and in sports bars around the pier, often with a cover band. Spring break and long weekends bring a louder, younger crowd, and anyone after clubs drives to Orlando.

Chattanooga has the more dramatic and varied outdoors. Lookout, Signal and Raccoon Mountains rise straight above town, and the sandstone bluffs draw climbers from across the eastern states. Hang gliders launch from the ridge, and the Ocoee's Olympic whitewater and the falls of Cloudland Canyon are about an hour away.

Cocoa Beach is flat but full of wildlife. You can kayak the Indian River Lagoon past manatees, dolphins and, on summer nights, glowing plankton. Merritt Island has alligators and winter birdlife, sea turtles nest on the beaches, and the surf is good for learners. There is nothing to climb, and the best season runs from autumn to spring rather than spring and autumn.

The two are about level for outings. Chattanooga's choices are big cities a long drive away: Nashville or Atlanta at about two hours each, or Knoxville a little closer. Huntsville's rocket centre and the Chickamauga battlefield make shorter trips.

Cocoa Beach has the stronger single outing. The Kennedy Space Center is about half an hour north, with the Saturn V, the shuttle Atlantis and the launch pads themselves. Add Orlando's theme parks and a long day to St Augustine, and the list is soon used up.

Children do well in both, in different ways. Chattanooga is a city of built attractions. The Tennessee Aquarium and the Creative Discovery Museum are downtown, and Lookout Mountain adds the Incline Railway, Ruby Falls and Rock City. Coolidge Park has a carousel and splash fountains for cooling off.

Cocoa Beach has a slight edge for families who want easy days by the sea. There are lifeguarded beaches, beginner surf lessons and condos with kitchens and pools. The space centre and Orlando are close by for bigger outings, though watch the currents and plan around the summer lightning.

Chattanooga is easier without a car, at least downtown. The riverfront, the aquarium, Bluff View and the Southside are within walking distance, and the Walnut Street Bridge crosses to the North Shore. A free electric shuttle runs the length of downtown.

Cocoa Beach is a long strip along one main road. A bicycle covers the pier and the downtown blocks, but almost everything else needs a car, and the nearest major airport is about an hour away in Orlando. In both places the outdoor spots and day trips mean driving.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Chattanooga has a bit more choice. Warehouse Row fills converted railway buildings downtown, and Frazier Avenue has small boutiques, galleries and well-stocked outdoor-gear shops.

In Cocoa Beach, shopping means surf culture: a huge landmark surf store on the main road, boards from local shapers, and beachwear and souvenirs. For anything else, people head to Cocoa Village or the Orlando malls.

Costs are much the same, with no real bargains in either. In Chattanooga, the trails, parks and downtown shuttle are free and hotels cost less than in the big cities. The aquarium and the Lookout Mountain attractions charge full admission, though.

In Cocoa Beach, older motels and condos keep rooms affordable and seafood grills are fair value. Rates climb in spring and on launch weekends, and the space centre and inland parks add up. In both, a hire car is an expense you should plan for.

Chattanooga has a real stage scene. The gilded 1920s Tivoli Theatre and the Walker Theatre host touring shows and a resident symphony and opera, and a long-running community theatre performs on the North Shore. Bluegrass and Americana bands play the small venues of the Southside.

Live performance in Cocoa Beach mostly means cover bands on beach-bar decks. For theatre, you drive to the playhouse in Cocoa Village or the arts centre in Melbourne, and for anything bigger, to Orlando.

Neither has a spa tradition, and both offer only hotel and day spas. The real difference is the kind of rest each one gives. In Chattanooga, calm means an unhurried afternoon on a Bluff View porch between active days.

In Cocoa Beach, the whole day can be slow: early walks on the sand, beach yoga and sunsets over the Banana River. For proper spa resorts, people look to the hotels around Orlando.