Chicago or Wisconsin Dells?

Chicago has proper city beaches, more than twenty sandy stretches along Lake Michigan. They run from Oak Street Beach under the Gold Coast towers to the volleyball crowds at North Avenue, so you can swim between sights on a summer afternoon. The lake is fresh and clear, but a shift in wind can turn it cold overnight.

Wisconsin Dells has no beach in town worth the name, only small strands on Mirror Lake and Lake Delton. The best lake swimming is at Devil's Lake, half an hour's drive away, beneath its bluffs. Most visitors do their swimming in the waterparks instead.

Chicago is one of America's serious eating cities. It has its own street canon of deep-dish pizza, Italian beef and the dressed hot dog, tasting-menu kitchens along Randolph Street, and real depth in Pilsen's Mexican cooking, Devon Avenue's South Asian food and Argyle Street's Vietnamese restaurants.

Wisconsin Dells feeds families between attractions with steakhouses, buffets and pizza. Its charm lies in Wisconsin rituals: the supper club with a brandy old fashioned, the Friday fish fry and squeaky cheese curds. It is enjoyable for a few nights, but locals drive to Madison for anything more ambitious.

Chicago is where the skyscraper grew up after the fire of 1871. The Loop is an open-air lesson running from the Rookery to Mies van der Rohe, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House stands in Hyde Park. Add the Art Institute and the Field Museum and you have days of serious sightseeing.

Wisconsin Dells offers one historic site, the H.H. Bennett Studio, which tells how a photographer's river pictures first brought tourists here. Beyond that, Broadway is a strip of upside-down houses and wax museums that children love but no one would call heritage.

Chicago stays out late. Many bars pour until 4am, and each neighbourhood has its own scene: cocktail and dive bars in Wicker Park and Logan Square, dance clubs in River North, and Northalsted as the main gay district. The city's place in house music history still shapes its dance nights.

Wisconsin Dells mostly goes quiet when the waterparks close. You will find a few taverns and sports bars, brewery taprooms and a late-opening casino near Baraboo, but no clubs.

The Dells win outdoors because the town grew up around the landscape itself. The Wisconsin River cuts sandstone canyons you can explore by boat or kayak, Devil's Lake has bouldery bluff trails and some of the Midwest's best rock climbing, and autumn colour and winter skiing extend the seasons.

Chicago's nature is the lake. A shoreline path of about 29km is a fine day on foot or by bike, and Lincoln Park and Jackson Park attract migrating birds. For dunes or canyons you need an hour or more of travel to Indiana Dunes or Starved Rock, across flat country.

The Dells make a better base for outings. Madison is an hour away, with its domed Capitol between two lakes, and Spring Green has Taliesin and the eccentric House on the Rock. Circus World in Baraboo and the International Crane Foundation are closer still. Every one of them needs a car.

Chicago's best escape is Milwaukee, an easy train ride away, and Oak Park's Wright houses are on the city's edge. Beyond them, Lake Geneva and the Michigan harbour towns are pleasant drives across the prairie rather than reasons to stay longer.

Chicago suits school-age children and teenagers best, because its family appeal lies in museums and finding things out. The coal mine and U-boat at the Museum of Science and Industry can fill a whole day, the Museum Campus puts the Field Museum's dinosaurs beside the Shedd's belugas, and Lincoln Park Zoo is free. The city is large, though, and its winters are hard on small legs.

Wisconsin Dells is still the stronger family choice, because the whole town is built for children. America's largest outdoor waterpark and indoor resorts that stay warm all winter are a few minutes from go-karts, rollercoasters and duck boats. Younger children are in their element, but teenagers can tire of the slides.

Chicago works without a car. The L runs from both airports into the Loop, and the main sights from Millennium Park to the Museum Campus are within a flat walk. Crossing between outer neighbourhoods takes longer, often by bus along the long avenues.

In Wisconsin Dells a car is essential. The resorts and outlets are strung along highways that are unpleasant to walk, there is no useful public transport, and only the few blocks of Broadway are comfortable on foot. Most visitors drive in, and the nearest airport is in Madison.

Chicago gives shopping real range. The Magnificent Mile has flagships and vertical malls, Oak Street has luxury labels, and the old Marshall Field's building on State Street is worth a visit for its Tiffany ceiling alone. Wicker Park and Andersonville add independent fashion, vintage and design shops.

Wisconsin Dells offers T-shirt shops, taffy counters and cheese stores along Broadway, plus an outlet centre for mainstream brands on a wet afternoon. It is a short break between attractions, nothing more.

The Dells come out a little cheaper, but neither is a bargain. Older motels on the strips and Midwestern menus keep basic costs moderate, and the state parks are free. On summer weekends, though, resort rates, ride tickets and extras add up fast for a family.

In Chicago the strain falls on downtown hotels, heavy taxes and sit-down dinners. Taquerias, the L and the free lakefront, beaches and zoo soften the bill, especially if you stay outside the Loop.

Chicago is one of the great stage cities in the country. It has the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Center, a full Lyric Opera season, the Goodman and Steppenwolf alongside storefront companies, nightly improv at Second City, and electric blues and late jazz sets in the clubs. Summer adds free concerts at the Pritzker Pavilion.

Wisconsin Dells has magic and variety shows, dinner theatre and a Lake Delton venue for tribute bands and touring country acts. Theatre lovers drive an hour to Spring Green's outdoor classical stage.

Neither is a place to slow right down, and their quiet corners are very different. Chicago's calm is urban: an old Russian-and-Turkish bathhouse in Wicker Park with scorching steam and cold plunges, glasshouse conservatories in winter, and early walks by the lake.

The Dells offer resort spas and an adults-only retreat in the woods where parents can take a break from the slides. The best stillness comes on the river early in the morning or in the empty off-season.