Destin or Pigeon Forge?

Destin has the beach and Pigeon Forge doesn't. Destin's fine quartz sand and clear green water run from Henderson Beach State Park east towards the dune lakes of 30A. Crab Island in the bay adds shallow water you can wade in, and the sea stays warm enough to swim from late spring into autumn.

Pigeon Forge is in the Tennessee foothills, far from any coast. For a swim in summer there is Douglas Lake, boulder pools in the national park streams, or the water park beside Dollywood.

Neither town is a destination for food, but Destin eats better because of its fishing fleet. Red snapper, grouper and royal red shrimp come straight off the boats, and some harbour kitchens will cook your own catch. The more ambitious cooking is east along 30A.

Pigeon Forge serves big plates of comfort food: all-day pancakes, Southern buffets, barbecue, and moonshine tastings along the Parkway. For serious Appalachian cooking you have to drive to Knoxville or Asheville.

History is thin in both places, so don't choose either for its sights. Destin's culture is the small fishing museum, plus the temple mound and the outdoor aircraft collection in Fort Walton Beach. Pigeon Forge has more for entertainment than for learning, with its half-scale Titanic and its illusion museums. Its one real piece of history is the Old Mill of 1830, still grinding flour on the river, and the national park's log cabins and churches are close by.

Destin has an actual bar scene, at least in season. Open-air bars along the harbour boardwalk and on Okaloosa Island fill up on summer evenings, boats raft up for afternoon drinks at Crab Island, and a few dance floors run late around spring break.

Pigeon Forge winds down by about ten. Its nights are go-karts, lit-up attractions and a handful of brewpubs and moonshine tasting rooms. Adults who want a proper night out drive to Gatlinburg.

Pigeon Forge has the stronger landscape, because the Great Smoky Mountains are half an hour away. Forested ridges rise above 2,000m, the Appalachian Trail runs along the crest, and black bears and deer graze in Cades Cove. Spring wildflowers and October colour are the high points.

Destin's nature is mostly on the water. Deep-sea charters reach big fish quickly, dolphins swim in the pass, and the bay is calm enough for kayaks. On land the coast is flat, with white dunes and rare dune lakes but no hills.

The two are about level on outings, but the trips differ in character. From Destin you follow the coast: the planned pastel towns of Seaside and Rosemary Beach along 30A, or Pensacola's colonial district, naval aviation museum and brick forts. From Pigeon Forge the trips go into the mountains and beyond. You can cross Newfound Gap to Cherokee, spend an afternoon in Knoxville's Market Square, or make a full day of the Biltmore Estate and the art deco centre of Asheville.

Both towns are built for families, and Pigeon Forge has a small edge for children who want rides. Dollywood is a full theme park with coasters, crafts and seasonal festivals, and around it are mountain coasters, zip lines, easy waterfall walks and the chance of seeing a bear. Big cabins and indoor water-park hotels suit groups.

Destin's appeal is simpler: shallow, clear water and soft sand, plus a marine park, a water park and dolphin cruises. Parents need to watch the rip-current flags. Both towns mean long drives in traffic in peak season.

Plan on a car in either town. Destin strings out along one congested coastal highway with few safe crossings for walkers. Only the harbour boardwalk and the 30A bike trail work without wheels. Pigeon Forge at least has a trolley along the Parkway to Gatlinburg, but it is slow, doesn't reach the hillside cabins and doesn't go to any trailheads.

Destin offers a bit more choice. The big outlet centre near Miramar Beach and an open-air mall cover the chain brands, and the 30A towns add boutiques, galleries and home-décor shops with some style.

Pigeon Forge has outlets too, but what sets it apart is mountain craft. You'll find quilts, pottery and stone-ground cornmeal by the Old Mill, and the studio loop above Gatlinburg makes brooms, baskets and leatherwork.

Pigeon Forge is the cheaper stay. Thousands of motel rooms and rental cabins keep lodging reasonable outside the peak weeks, a cabin shared between families costs little per head, and buffets and breakfast houses are inexpensive. The costs pile up at the theme park and the dinner shows.

In summer Destin charges resort-coast rates for beachfront rooms, and waterfront meals and fishing charters add to the bill. It gets much cheaper from late autumn, but by then the sea is too cold to swim.

Pigeon Forge has far more live entertainment, though it is all one style. Dozens of Parkway theatres put on country and gospel revues, comedy, magic and dinner shows with horses or pirate ships every night, and Dollywood adds bluegrass and Appalachian music during the day.

In Destin, live music mostly means cover bands on bar decks and summer concerts on the 30A lawns. For the regional symphony you cross the bay to Niceville.

Neither town has a spa tradition, and both rely on resort spas and a few day spas. The difference is where you find calm. In Destin it is an early walk on empty sand in spring or autumn. In Pigeon Forge it is a hillside cabin with a porch, a fireplace and a private hot tub above the ridges, well away from the neon of the Parkway.