Chattanooga or Orlando?

Neither city is on the coast, but Orlando is far closer to a real beach. The long, soft Atlantic strands at Cocoa Beach and New Smyrna are about an hour's drive away, and the calmer Gulf shore near Clearwater is about two hours away. Day to day, families swim in the water parks and resort pools.

From Chattanooga the sea is out of reach. Swimming there means a lake shore at Chickamauga or Harrison Bay, or a cold creek pool up on the plateau. These are good for cooling off on a summer afternoon but not for a beach day.

The two are much alike for food, and neither is a reason to choose the trip. The difference is in style. Chattanooga serves Southern comfort food, such as meat-and-three plates, smoked brisket and catfish, along with craft breweries on the Southside. Most of it is close together and walkable.

Orlando offers more variety but takes more effort. Mills 50 has Vietnamese and other Asian cooking, and Winter Park and Sand Lake Road have chef-led and steak restaurants. Most visitors, though, end up eating in park chains and themed restaurants unless they drive out to find these places.

Chattanooga has the deeper history. The 1863 battlefields at Point Park and Missionary Ridge, the old Terminal Station, the Hunter Museum on its bluff and the Bessie Smith Cultural Center add up to two or three days of real sightseeing.

Orlando grew from citrus groves and theme parks, so it has little old architecture. Its one standout is the Tiffany collection at the Morse Museum in Winter Park. The space-programme history that many visitors want is out on the coast.

Orlando offers more after dark, and it has two separate scenes. Disney Springs and CityWalk have themed bars that suit hotel guests and close fairly early. Downtown along Orange Avenue, a large student population keeps the clubs busy late at weekends, and Ivanhoe Village and Mills 50 have a relaxed gay scene.

Chattanooga is quieter. Evenings mean a brewery patio or a cocktail on the Southside, with the short Station Street strip as its busiest block, and there are hardly any clubs.

Chattanooga is far ahead for the outdoors. Lookout, Signal and Raccoon Mountains rise straight from the river, the sandstone bluffs make it one of the best climbing bases in the eastern United States, and the Ocoee whitewater and Cloudland Canyon are about an hour away.

Orlando's landscape is flat and full of water. You can kayak the clear springs at Wekiwa, see manatees at Blue Spring in winter, take an airboat past alligators and watch birds at Merritt Island. It is rewarding, but there are no hills, and the summer heat confines most activity to early mornings.

Orlando has slightly more to offer, mainly because the Kennedy Space Center is about an hour away. St Augustine's Spanish fort and the Dalí Museum in St Petersburg both make full days out.

Chattanooga's best trips are longer drives. Nashville and Atlanta are each about two hours away, and the rocket centre in Huntsville is a little closer. Lynchburg, Sewanee and the Chickamauga battlefield make quieter outings. Both cities need a car for every trip.

Few cities anywhere match Orlando for children. It has a dozen-odd theme and water parks, resorts with bunk-room suites and character breakfasts, and transport laid on between them. A week there can still feel too short.

Chattanooga suits a short, easy family break. The Tennessee Aquarium, the Creative Discovery Museum, the Incline Railway and Ruby Falls fill a long weekend, and the carousel in Coolidge Park adds a free afternoon. The scale is friendlier, but the city does not have the same range to fill a long trip.

Chattanooga is easier, though only within its centre. The riverfront, aquarium, Bluff View and Southside are all within walking distance, linked by the Walnut Street Bridge and a free shuttle. The mountains and trailheads still need a car.

Orlando is built around Interstate 4 and its toll roads, and walking between districts is impractical. The one exception is staying inside Disney or Universal, where monorails, boats and gondolas let a family manage without a car.

Orlando is a genuine shopping destination. It has two large premium outlet centres, the luxury Mall at Millenia and brand stores at Disney Springs, though it is weak on local crafts and independent design.

Chattanooga's shopping is limited. The converted warehouses of Warehouse Row and the boutiques and galleries on Frazier Avenue are pleasant to wander. Its one real speciality is climbing and outdoor gear.

Neither city is cheap, and they cost about the same, but the money goes on different things. In Chattanooga the trails, riverfront and shuttle are free, so the main costs are the hire car and the paid attractions on Lookout Mountain.

In Orlando the hotel rooms off-site are reasonable. The theme-park tickets are what drive the budget up, especially over several days, along with express passes, parking and meals inside the parks. School-vacation weeks raise prices across the board.

The two are broadly level for performance, but in different styles. Chattanooga has the gilded 1920s Tivoli Theatre, a small symphony and opera company, and bluegrass and Americana bands in Southside bars.

Orlando has bigger touring Broadway shows at the Dr. Phillips Center and a long-running spring Fringe festival. Many visitors' main experience of performance there is the polished stage shows and fireworks inside the parks.

Neither city is a place to choose for rest. Orlando has more facilities: its many resort hotels have full spas, lazy rivers and big pool areas for a recovery day between parks, and Winter Park offers a slower pace for couples. Chattanooga has only a few day spas, but the town is quiet, and an afternoon on a porch in Bluff View feels calm.