Cocoa Beach or Savannah?

Cocoa Beach is a beach town in the most literal sense. It sits on a barrier island with one wide strip of firm, pale sand along its whole length, so you walk to the water from your room, and surfboards and fishing off the pier set the tone of the day. Wilder stretches lie north towards Cape Canaveral and south towards Satellite Beach.

Savannah has no beach of its own. Tybee Island, about half an hour east, has wide, flat sand and warm summer water, but its sea is cooler in winter and coloured by the marshes, and it makes a day out rather than the setting for the trip. Both shores face the open Atlantic with greenish water, so the real difference is how close the beach is, not how pretty it is.

Savannah eats far better. Lowcountry cooking gives it a real identity: shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, Lowcountry boil and oyster roasts in the cooler months. On top of that comes a small group of chef-led restaurants in old townhouses and warehouses south of Forsyth Park.

Cocoa Beach feeds you well after a day in the sun and not much more. Expect fish tacos, rock shrimp from Port Canaveral, raw bars and dockside grills along the Banana River. It is casual and pleasant, but nobody travels there to eat.

This is where the two differ most. In Savannah the whole historic district is the attraction: Oglethorpe's plan of garden squares, houses in styles from Federal to Victorian, and Factors Walk above the river. Add the Telfair Museums and the Owens-Thomas House, which tells the story of the enslaved people who ran the household.

Cocoa Beach has its pier and little else in town. Its one unforgettable cultural moment is watching a rocket climb from Cape Canaveral, seen from the sand. For museums, you drive out of town.

Savannah's evenings offer more variety. To-go cups are allowed in the historic district, so you can drift between the cobbled bars of River Street, the taverns around City Market and cocktail rooms in old townhouses. Art students keep a few dive bars and dance nights going, and the riverfront gets loud at weekends.

In Cocoa Beach a night out means a beach bar or sports bar near the pier with a cover band on the deck. It gets livelier during spring break but usually winds down early. Neither place has much of a club scene.

Cocoa Beach has the richer outdoors. Behind the town, the Indian River Lagoon is kayaking water with manatees, dolphins and glowing plankton on summer nights. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore add alligators, winter birdlife and nesting turtles, and the gentle beach breaks make it a good place to learn to surf.

Savannah's Lowcountry feels similar: flat marsh and tidal creeks for paddling and birding, with the oak avenue at Wormsloe and the trails on Skidaway Island as gentler options. It has less wildlife spectacle and no surf. Summer heat makes long outings hard work in both places, and Savannah adds biting insects.

Savannah has the longer list of outings. Charleston is about two hours north, Beaufort and Hilton Head about an hour or less, and Fort Pulaski is on the way to Tybee. Jekyll and St Simons islands lie down the Georgia coast, so a week can fill up with historic towns and islands.

Cocoa Beach has fewer choices, but one that nowhere else offers: the Kennedy Space Center, half an hour north, with the Saturn V rocket and the shuttle Atlantis. Orlando and Winter Park are an hour away, but historic towns are scarce, and St Augustine makes a long day. From either base you need a car.

Cocoa Beach is the easier family base. Lifeguarded sand, beginner surf lessons, condos with kitchens and pools, the space centre and Orlando's theme parks within a day's reach all keep children busy. The currents and summer lightning storms do need watching.

Savannah can work with children, but it isn't built for them. There are squares and Forsyth Park to run around in, trolley tours, the free river ferry, forts, and the birthplace of the Girl Scouts' founder. With no big zoo, aquarium or theme park, and the beach half an hour away, it suits older children better than toddlers.

In Savannah you can leave the car parked for most of the stay. The historic district is flat and compact, with sights, inns and restaurants a short walk apart, and a free shuttle and river ferry cover the rest. You only need wheels for Bonaventure Cemetery, Wormsloe and Tybee.

Cocoa Beach is one long strip along a main road. The sand is close and a bicycle covers downtown and the pier. However, the space centre, the wildlife refuge, Orlando and the nearest major airport all mean driving, and buses are infrequent.

Savannah makes for a pleasant afternoon's browse. Broughton Street has restored storefronts, and around the squares to the south there are shops selling work by art school students and graduates, along with antique dealers and bookshops.

Cocoa Beach shopping means surfwear and boards. Its centrepiece is a giant surf store on the main road that is open around the clock and has been a landmark for decades, and the rest is gift shops. For anything else, people go to Cocoa Village or the Orlando malls.

Neither place is cheap, and the costs come from different directions. In Cocoa Beach, motel and older condo rooms are reasonable outside the busy weeks. But a hire car is close to essential, and space centre and theme park tickets add up over a week.

Savannah's inns in the historic district charge the rates of a popular weekend destination, and more in spring. On the other hand, much of what you come for costs nothing: the squares, the park, the riverfront and the cemeteries. You can also manage downtown without a car. Restaurant bills with tax and tip feel much the same in both.

Savannah has a real calendar of events. In spring the Savannah Music Festival fills historic theatres and churches with chamber music, jazz, blues and Americana. The restored Lucas and Trustees theatres host touring shows, and an autumn jazz festival comes to Forsyth Park. Arrive at another time of year and it is much quieter.

Cocoa Beach offers cover bands on bar decks. A performing arts centre in Melbourne and a playhouse in Cocoa Village are a short drive away, but serious concerts mean a trip to Orlando.

Neither has a spa tradition, but Savannah is the more restful place to slow down. Think of a bench under the oaks in a quiet square, a porch at an old inn, or a midweek visit in spring or autumn. River Street at weekends and the summer humidity are the things to avoid.

Cocoa Beach's calm is simpler: early walks on the sand, beach yoga and sunsets over the river on quiet weekdays. There are only a few day spas and massage studios.