Daytona Beach or Louisville?

This is the clearest gap between the two. Daytona has about 37km of hard-packed Atlantic sand, swimmable from late spring to autumn. You can choose between the busy pier area and quieter sand towards Ormond Beach and Ponce Inlet, though rip currents mean you should stay near the lifeguards.

Louisville has no beach at all. The Ohio is a working river with barges, so cooling off there means a pool or a drive out to a reservoir lake.

In Louisville, food and drink can be a reason to visit. Bourbon is poured all along Whiskey Row, and the city has dishes of its own, such as the hot brown, burgoo and Derby pie. Kitchens in NuLu, the Highlands and Butchertown cook with Kentucky produce.

Daytona's best meals are simpler: fried shrimp, smoked fish dip and oysters on a deck by the Halifax River or near Ponce Inlet. Away from the water, chain restaurants take over the main roads.

Louisville has more to see. The Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs, the Muhammad Ali Center, the museums along Whiskey Row and the Victorian blocks of Old Louisville fill two or three full days.

Daytona's sights centre on speed. You can tour the Speedway, visit the Museum of Arts and Sciences with its Cuban art, and climb Florida's tallest lighthouse at Ponce Inlet. Most visitors cover all of it in a day or so.

Neither city has much of a club scene, and they are close overall, but the bars differ. Daytona means tiki bars at sunset, oceanfront lounges and the biker saloons of Main Street, which fill up during Bike Week, Biketoberfest and race weeks.

Louisville has more variety in its bars. There are dive bars and patios along Bardstown Road and bourbon and cocktail bars in NuLu, and some places hold late licences, so evenings can run long even when the Derby isn't on.

Daytona has a slight edge, mainly because of its water and wildlife. You can kayak on Mosquito Lagoon among dolphins, go birding at Merritt Island, see manatees at Blue Spring in winter and paddle in Tomoka State Park, but the land is completely flat.

Louisville's green spaces are on land. It has Olmsted's hilly Cherokee and Iroquois parks, fossil beds at the Falls of the Ohio, woodland trails in Bernheim Forest and Mammoth Cave within reach, all in gently rolling country.

Both cities are good bases for outings by car, but the outings are very different. From Daytona, you can visit the Spanish fort and old streets of St Augustine, rocket history at Kennedy Space Center or the Orlando theme parks, each about an hour away.

From Louisville, the main outings are to the distilleries around Bardstown, Frankfort and Lawrenceburg, where you will want a designated driver. Lexington's thoroughbred farms, Shaker Village and Lincoln's birthplace add history and countryside.

Both work about equally well with children, in different ways. Daytona is a beach stay, with wide sand, arcades and rides by the boardwalk, condos with pools and Orlando's parks an hour away. Families should keep away from Bike Week and spring break.

Louisville is a city visit with plenty to do. It has a well-regarded zoo, the hands-on Kentucky Science Center, coasters and water slides at Kentucky Kingdom, and underground ziplines in the Mega Cavern.

You will need a car in both cities, but Louisville is a little easier. Downtown Main Street, the waterfront and NuLu can be walked, distances are short and traffic is light.

Daytona stretches along wide roads on both sides of the river. Apart from the beach itself and the area around the boardwalk, you have to drive, and the roads jam badly during big events.

Shopping in Daytona covers what a beach trip needs. There are brand-name clothes at the outlet centre and the regional mall, swimwear, towels and souvenirs from the shops along the shore, and biker gear on Main Street for the Bike Week crowd. Beach Street downtown has a few independent shops and galleries, but there is nothing upmarket and little worth an afternoon of browsing.

Louisville is only a little stronger, but its shopping has more local character. NuLu has design shops and boutiques, and Bardstown Road has vintage clothing, records and antiques. The thing to take home is a bottle of bourbon from a distillery shop that you would struggle to find elsewhere, perhaps with a Derby hat.

Daytona works out somewhat cheaper. It has plenty of older oceanfront motels and condos, and casual seafood keeps meals affordable. Prices jump sharply around the Daytona 500 and Bike Week.

Louisville's hotels are reasonable outside racing season, and its parks and Victorian streets are free. Tips, tax and the cost of driving everywhere still add up through the day, and rooms during Derby week cost several times the usual rate.

Louisville is in a different league here. The Kentucky Center is home to the city's own orchestra, opera and ballet, and Actors Theatre is known for staging new American plays. Bluegrass and Americana bands play in bars on Bardstown Road, and the autumn festivals bring big rock and roots acts.

Daytona's highlights are the winter series of visiting orchestras and touring shows at the Peabody Auditorium. Beyond that there are free summer concerts at the oceanfront bandshell.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, and both rely on hotel and day spas. Daytona is slightly better for unwinding because of the beach itself: early walks on the firm sand, long afternoons by the pool and sunsets over the river, as long as you avoid race weeks.

Louisville's version is a slow afternoon on a porch in the Highlands or a drive through horse country. For a proper spa stay, people drive to the old mineral-spring resorts at French Lick in southern Indiana.