Detroit or Niagara Falls?

Neither is a beach destination, but Niagara Falls has slightly better swimming. Crystal Beach and the shore near Port Colborne on Lake Erie, about half an hour away, have soft sand and shallow water, and the cooler Lake Ontario beaches at Port Dalhousie are another option.

Detroit has the small beach on Belle Isle and the lawn-backed shore at Lake St. Clair Metropark, which make a pleasant summer outing but can close for a day or two after heavy rain. In both places the season runs roughly from July to early September.

Detroit eats far better. It has dishes of its own in the chilli-smothered Coney dog and crisp-edged square pizza, Saturday crowds at Eastern Market, and real depth in Dearborn's Lebanese and Yemeni bakeries, Mexicantown and Hamtramck's Polish bakeries, even if the best of it means driving.

Niagara Falls has no local cooking. Its restaurants around Clifton Hill are mostly chains and steakhouses, and a view over the gorge costs extra. Its strength is the wine country to the north, with winery restaurants, peaches and cherries in summer, and icewine and Riesling to taste.

Here the gap is wide. Detroit has a major art museum in the Detroit Institute of Arts, and Midtown adds the Motown Museum and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn fill a day. For architecture, downtown has the Art Deco banking hall of the Guardian Building and New Center has the gilded Fisher Building, though the stretches in between hold little.

Niagara Falls has the falls and only a thin layer of history around them. There are the early hydroelectric stations, Brock's Monument at Queenston Heights and the War of 1812 battlefields there and at Lundy's Lane. Clifton Hill's wax museums and neon are entertainment, not heritage, and for older buildings you have to go to the nearby towns.

Detroit has a nightlife with deep roots. As the birthplace of techno, it still has warehouse parties and serious small clubs, along with dive bars, cocktail bars and brewery taprooms in Corktown and Midtown. You'll need taxis to get between them, and weeknights are quiet.

Evenings at Niagara Falls start with the falls lit up in colour and, in summer, fireworks. After that they move to the casinos and the pubs and sports bars of Clifton Hill. The crowd is couples, groups and families on vacation, and it all goes quiet in winter.

Niagara Falls is far ahead, because its main sight is a natural one. The Horseshoe Falls drop over 50m. Below them the gorge has the Niagara Glen's rocky paths down to the rapids, the Whirlpool, a riverside trail made for cycling and the start of the Bruce Trail at Queenston.

Detroit's outdoors are flat and based around parks: Belle Isle's woods and lagoon, the RiverWalk, kayaking or sailing on Lake St. Clair, and metroparks with wetlands and good autumn colour. It's pleasant, but nothing to travel for.

Niagara Falls has the better list. Niagara-on-the-Lake, with Fort George and the surrounding wineries, is twenty minutes away. Toronto can be reached by train, and across the border lie Buffalo's early skyscrapers and Frank Lloyd Wright houses.

Detroit's outings are pleasant rather than memorable: Ann Arbor's campus and museums, Bavarian-styled Frankenmuth, Toledo's art museum and Windsor across the river, with Cedar Point at the limit of a day out. Nearly all of them need a car.

Niagara Falls has the edge with children. The boat into the spray and the tunnels behind the falling water are hard to beat, and Clifton Hill adds an observation wheel, mini golf and arcades. The compact tourist area is easy with a pushchair, though a few days covers it and the paid attractions add up.

Detroit has bigger individual attractions: the large Detroit Zoo with its polar bear tunnel, the hands-on Michigan Science Center and Greenfield Village's steam trains. They're spread across the metro area, though, and almost all of them need a car.

Niagara Falls is far easier without a car. The promenade, the hotels on the bluff and Clifton Hill are a short walk apart, linked by the Falls Incline Railway. Visitor buses run up the parkway to Queenston and trains connect with Toronto, though the wineries are best reached by car, bike or tour.

In Detroit, the People Mover and the QLine streetcar on Woodward cover downtown, Midtown and New Center. Dearborn, the zoo and everything beyond mean driving or ride-hailing.

Neither is a shopping destination, and Detroit comes out slightly ahead mainly on character. Its independent boutiques and vintage shops in Midtown and Corktown sell Detroit-made watches, leather goods and prints, Eastern Market adds local crafts, and Dearborn and Mexicantown have specialist groceries. For big brands you need a suburban mall.

Niagara Falls offers souvenirs on Clifton Hill and large outlet centres on the edge of town, which are good for discounted Canadian and American brands. Icewine is the best thing to take home.

Detroit is the somewhat cheaper stay. Hotels cost less than in most big US cities and casual food is good value, though tips, sales tax and a hire car add up, and downtown rooms get pricier on game and concert nights.

At Niagara Falls, costs depend on the season. Rooms overlooking the falls are expensive in summer, while motels on the outer strips and winter stays cost far less. The paid attractions soon add up for a family, but watching the falls from the promenade is free.

Detroit is the stronger music city by some way. It has the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Orchestra Hall, opera downtown, concerts at the Fox Theatre and touring Broadway shows at the Fisher. Add the jazz clubs, the free Detroit Jazz Festival and live soul, rock and gospel in small venues, and there's something on most nights.

Niagara Falls has casino shows, tribute acts and magic. Its one serious asset is the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a repertory season of classic and modern plays that offers more for theatre lovers than Detroit's limited local stage.

Neither has a bathing tradition, but Niagara Falls makes rest a little easier. The big hotels and the wine-country inns have spas where a massage follows a day of tastings, and Niagara-on-the-Lake has a slower pace. In Detroit, relaxing means a hotel or suburban day spa, and the calmest hours are a walk on the RiverWalk or an afternoon on Belle Isle.