Gatlinburg or Memphis?

Neither is a beach destination, and the only difference is how you cool off. Gatlinburg has the cold, clear rivers of the national park, with tubing on the Little River near Townsend and some lake swimming at Douglas Lake, though currents run strong after rain.

Memphis has the Mississippi, which nobody swims in. There, cooling off means a hotel pool, a splash pad or a drive out to a country lake.

Gatlinburg feeds a resort crowd. Pancake houses, barbecue and family restaurants line the Parkway, with fudge shops and moonshine tastings in between. Real Appalachian cooking, such as trout, country ham and stack cake, turns up only here and there.

Memphis is a food destination in its own right. Dry-rubbed ribs, pulled pork, barbecue spaghetti, Delta tamales and soul food are worth planning a day around, and Cooper-Young adds modern Southern cooking and craft beer. Neither city has much fine dining or international range.

There is very little sightseeing in Gatlinburg itself: an observation tower, mountaintop amusement parks and the working studios of the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community. The mountain heritage, meaning the log cabins, mills and churches, lies out in the park at Cades Cove and Elkmont.

Memphis has sights of national importance. Graceland, Sun Studio and the Stax Museum trace the birth of rock and roll and soul, and the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel is a powerful visit. The historic centre is patchy, so plan your time around a handful of museums rather than wandering.

An evening in Gatlinburg means a stroll along the lit Parkway, a moonshine tasting and then the cabin hot tub. The strip is quiet by late night.

Memphis actually goes out. Beale Street fills with people carrying drinks between blues bars until late, and Overton Square and Cooper-Young in Midtown have more relaxed local bars and beer gardens. Neither city has a real club scene.

This is Gatlinburg's great strength. The Great Smoky Mountains rise straight behind the town, with forest trails to Grotto Falls and Mount LeConte, the drive over Newfound Gap to Clingmans Dome at about 2,025m, and black bears and deer in Cades Cove. Weekend and October traffic is the price you pay.

Memphis sits on flat floodplain. Its outdoors are the river, which you can cross on foot or by bike on the Big River Crossing, the bison and lakes of Shelby Farms Park and the old-growth wood in Overton Park. These are good for a morning, but not for a whole trip.

Both cities have a decent list of outings, all needing a car, and the difference is in theme. From Gatlinburg they are scenic mountain and heritage drives: Asheville and the Biltmore Estate, Cherokee across Newfound Gap, the heritage railway at Bryson City and Knoxville's old market square.

From Memphis the road heads south into the Delta and its music history: Clarksdale's juke joints and the Blues Trail, Faulkner's Oxford, Elvis's birthplace at Tupelo and the Shiloh battlefield. Choose by whether mountain scenery or the blues appeals more.

Gatlinburg is made for children. The Parkway has an aquarium, mirror mazes, alpine coasters and gondola rides, Dollywood is close by, and big rental cabins come with games rooms. Add creek wading and bears seen from the car, and the only real strain is traffic and queues.

Memphis can fill a good few days with its zoo in Overton Park, the Pink Palace planetarium, Shelby Farms and the march of the Peabody ducks. Even so, its headline museums are for older children, and the summer heat wears small ones out.

Both need a car, and Gatlinburg is slightly easier. Its Parkway strip is walkable and a trolley loops out to Pigeon Forge, so if you stay downtown you can leave the car for a day or two. The park and the hillside cabins still need driving.

Memphis has a walkable downtown with heritage trolleys on Main Street. Beyond it, Graceland, Midtown and Shelby Farms are far apart and the buses are of little use, so you'll need ride-hails or a hire car nearly every day.

Neither city is worth a shopping trip, but Gatlinburg has the more rewarding finds: quilts, pottery, brooms and woodwork bought from the makers in the Arts and Crafts Community, with brand outlets a short drive away in Pigeon Forge. In Memphis the best finds are vinyl from independent record shops and the vintage boutiques of Cooper-Young and Broad Avenue, while the malls are out in the suburbs.

Overall costs are much the same, but they bite in different places. In Gatlinburg a shared cabin and free days in the national park keep spending down, while Parkway attractions and Dollywood tickets add up quickly for a family, and rates jump in October and over Christmas and New Year.

In Memphis, barbecue lunches are cheap and hotel rates are fair. The extra costs are a car or ride-hails, full admission at Graceland and the higher prices during the spring festivals.

In Gatlinburg, live entertainment means bluegrass in the tasting rooms, plus the dinner shows, gospel revues and magic acts of nearby Pigeon Forge and the mountain music at Dollywood.

Memphis is a music city first. House bands play blues and soul on Beale Street every night, and the Levitt Shell in Overton Park puts on free concerts in the warm months. The Orpheum, the symphony, the opera and the ballet cover the formal side, which Gatlinburg lacks entirely.

Neither has a spa tradition, but Gatlinburg is the better place to slow down. A hillside cabin with a hot tub, a rocking chair and mist over the ridges makes for quiet days, as long as you stay above the noisy Parkway.

Memphis is a city of late nights and loud music, and rest comes in small doses: an early walk in Overton Park or an evening on the bluffs watching the river.