Daytona Beach or Destin?

Both towns are built around their beaches, but Destin's is the prettier swimming beach. Fine white quartz sand meets clear green Gulf water that is usually gentle. On the bay side, the Crab Island sandbar lets you wade in shallow, warm water.

Daytona has more sand: about 37km of wide, hard-packed beach, with marked stretches where you can drive. The Atlantic there is greenish and wavy, which suits surfers at Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach more than toddlers. Both coasts have dangerous rip currents, so lifeguards and flags matter in either.

Neither is a food destination, and chain restaurants line the main roads in both. Destin comes out a little ahead because its seafood comes straight off the charter boats at the harbour: red snapper, amberjack and royal red shrimp, with some places cooking your own catch. The kitchens along 30A add some ambition.

In Daytona the best meals are at old fish camps on the Halifax River and towards Ponce Inlet, with smoked fish dip, oysters and grouper sandwiches eaten on decks over the water.

Daytona Beach has far more to see. Daytona International Speedway can be toured, and it tells a story of speed that goes back to the land-speed records set on the beach. The Museum of Arts and Sciences has a notable Cuban art collection, and the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse is the tallest in Florida.

Destin grew out of a fishing village and kept almost nothing historic. There is a small fishing museum, and in Fort Walton Beach next door a prehistoric temple mound and a collection of military aircraft. After that you have to leave town.

Daytona's nightlife follows the event calendar, while Destin's follows the summer. In Daytona the biker saloons of Main Street and the sports bars fill up during Bike Week, Biketoberfest and the race weeks at the Speedway, and the crowds spill out onto the street. Between those weeks it goes quiet, with sunset drinks at tiki bars and oceanfront hotel lounges.

Destin goes out on the open-air decks along the harbour boardwalk. At Crab Island the drinking starts in the afternoon, when boats tie up side by side. In peak season a few dance floors stay open late, but once summer ends most evenings finish early. Anyone looking for clubs or cocktail bars will find little in either town.

These two are equal for the outdoors, and both are flat and best enjoyed early on a summer morning. Daytona's strength is wildlife. Canaveral National Seashore has undeveloped dunes, Mosquito Lagoon is good for kayaking, Merritt Island is good for birding, and manatees gather at Blue Spring in winter.

Destin is more about the open water. Deep water lies close to shore, so fishing charters reach big game fish quickly, and you can sail on Choctawhatchee Bay or snorkel along the jetties. The rare coastal dune lakes to the east have boardwalks and bike paths.

Daytona is much better placed for outings. St Augustine, with its Spanish fort and narrow old streets, is about an hour north. Kennedy Space Center is a little further south, and Orlando's theme parks and the calmer lakeside streets of Winter Park are about an hour inland.

From Destin, the planned pastel towns of 30A are an easy afternoon, and Pensacola is about an hour west with its colonial district and naval aviation museum. After that the choice runs thin.

Destin is the more natural fit for children. On calm days the clear, gentle water and soft sand suit small swimmers. On land there's a long-running marine park with dolphin and sea-lion shows on Okaloosa Island, plus go-karts and harbour cruises.

Daytona still works for families. The boardwalk has arcades and rides, the planetarium is good for a rainy afternoon, and Orlando's parks are close. The rougher Atlantic surf and the noise of Bike Week and spring break are the main things to plan around.

You need a car in both, and neither has public transport worth planning around. In Daytona, the firm sand itself makes a good walking and cycling route along the shore, but the sights are spread along wide roads on both sides of the river.

Destin is strung along a single coastal highway that clogs in summer and has few safe crossings. The bike trail on 30A is the main place you can manage without a car.

Destin is the better place to shop. The large outlet centre near Miramar Beach draws shoppers from across the region, and the 30A towns have boutiques, galleries and home-décor shops with some style.

Daytona's shopping is mostly practical: an outlet centre, a mall and beach shops. Its one specialty is motorcycle gear and biker clothing on Main Street, with a few independent shops on Beach Street downtown.

Daytona Beach is the cheaper stay. It has plenty of older oceanfront motels and condo rentals, and casual seafood keeps meals reasonable. Rates rise sharply during the Daytona 500 and Bike Week, so your dates matter most.

Destin charges resort-coast prices from late spring through summer, and car hire, parking and charter fishing add up. It gets much cheaper from late autumn, but that is when the Gulf is too cold for swimming.

Daytona has more live performance. A long-established winter series brings visiting orchestras and soloists, the Peabody Auditorium hosts touring Broadway shows, and the oceanfront bandshell has free concerts in summer. Orlando is close for anything bigger.

In Destin, the regional symphony and touring shows play across the bay in Niceville, so most evening music is cover bands and acoustic sets on bar decks.

Neither has a spa tradition, and in both pampering means resort spas and a few day spas. Destin's are in the big golf resorts around Sandestin and Miramar Beach. What differs is when the calm breaks. In Daytona, the engines and crowds of race weeks and Bike Week are the thing to avoid, while Destin is most restful in spring and autumn, before summer traffic arrives.