Gatlinburg or Miami?

These two are about as far apart as it gets on beaches. Gatlinburg is a mountain town far from any coast, and swimming means wading or tubing in cold, fast rivers like the Little River near Townsend, or the lakeshore at Douglas Lake.

Miami is built around the sand. Miami Beach is one long strip from the Art Deco stretch of South Beach up to quieter North Beach and Surfside, with gentler, shallower water at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne. The Atlantic is warm enough to swim in all year, though sargassum and summer storms can spoil the odd day.

Gatlinburg feeds a resort crowd: pancake breakfasts, barbecue, Southern comfort plates, fudge shops and moonshine tasting rooms along the Parkway. Proper Appalachian cooking such as trout, country ham and stack cake exists, but you have to hunt for it.

Miami is in another league for eating. Cuban cafecito and Cuban sandwiches from ventanita windows in Little Havana, Haitian griot, Peruvian ceviche and winter stone crab give it depth, and Brickell and the Design District add a serious chef-led tier. Avoid the tourist tables on South Beach's main strips.

Miami has far more to see. The Art Deco Historic District is a real architectural set piece best walked along Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, Vizcaya's villa and gardens sit on the bay, and the Perez Art Museum, the Wolfsonian and Wynwood's murals fill out a few good days.

Gatlinburg's own landmarks are an observation tower and amusement areas. Its worthwhile heritage is the loop of working craft studios in the Arts and Crafts Community, and the log cabins, mills and churches of Cades Cove and the Roaring Fork out in the national park.

Miami is a famous party city, with South Beach mega-clubs, downtown venues open until dawn, Brickell rooftop bars and salsa on Calle Ocho. Gatlinburg's evenings are a stroll along the lit Parkway, a moonshine tasting and a soak in the cabin hot tub, and the strip is quiet well before midnight.

Gatlinburg is the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains, and that gives it the edge. Deep hardwood forest, waterfall walks to Laurel and Grotto Falls, the Alum Cave climb up Mount LeConte and the drive to Clingmans Dome all start within minutes of town, with black bears and elk along the way. Weekend and October traffic is the price.

Miami's outdoors is flat and watery but distinctive. You can see alligators from the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades, paddle among the mangroves in Biscayne National Park and snorkel the reefs off Key Largo. It works best in winter, as summer heat and mosquitoes make it heavy going.

Gatlinburg has the stronger choice of outings. Asheville and the Biltmore Estate are within reach, the Newfound Gap road crosses the mountains to Cherokee and its museum of the Eastern Band, and Knoxville and Bryson City's heritage railway round it out.

From Miami, Palm Beach's mansions and Flagler Museum and the seafood shacks of Key Largo and Islamorada make pleasant days. Key West, the one place most people want, is too far for a comfortable return trip.

Gatlinburg is the more natural family choice. The Parkway is a run of aquarium, mini golf, alpine coasters and chairlift rides, Dollywood is a short drive away, and big cabins with games rooms suit several families at once. In the park, children get creek wading and junior ranger badges.

Miami gives families warm, calm water at Key Biscayne and North Beach, Zoo Miami and the Frost Science Museum. Long drives, punishing summer heat and the party side of South Beach make it harder work.

Neither is easy without a car, but the problems differ. In Gatlinburg the Parkway strip is compact and has a trolley, but most cabins sit up steep hillside roads and the national park needs a car.

Miami is spread out. South Beach is walkable, and the free Metromover links downtown and Brickell, but the Metrorail does not reach the beach, so most visitors rely on ride-hailing and hire a car for the Everglades or the Keys.

Miami is the shopping destination. The Design District's fashion flagships, the exclusive open-air mall at Bal Harbour and the vast Aventura Mall serve serious spenders, and Lincoln Road covers the mainstream brands.

Gatlinburg's Parkway is mostly souvenirs, candy kitchens and moonshine outlets. Its real draw is handmade quilts, pottery and brooms bought from the craftspeople's own studios, which is local character Miami largely lacks.

Gatlinburg is easier on the budget. Cabins shared by a group and older motels can be good value, especially midweek and in winter, and the national park costs little to enjoy, though Dollywood and the Parkway attractions add up for a family.

Miami is expensive, with high beachfront rates in winter, resort fees, parking and steep club drinks. Free beaches, cheap Cuban bakeries and lower summer rates help a little.

Miami has a real performing arts scene. Florida Grand Opera and touring shows play at the Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami City Ballet is a respected company, the New World Symphony performs in its Frank Gehry hall, and salsa and timba bands fill Little Havana.

Gatlinburg's version is dinner shows, country and gospel revues and comedy in nearby Pigeon Forge, with bluegrass pickers in the tasting rooms. It is genuine mountain music, but there is no opera or orchestra.

Miami has more to offer anyone who wants to be pampered. The big hotels on Miami Beach and Key Biscayne have full spa floors, there is sunrise yoga on the sand, and a long-established Russian and Turkish bath house has steam rooms and cold plunges, though South Beach itself is loud.

Gatlinburg has only a few day spas. Its kind of rest is quieter and simpler: a hillside cabin with a hot tub, a rocking chair and mist on the ridges, well away from the noise of the Parkway.