Gatlinburg or Pensacola?

This is where the two cities differ most. Gatlinburg is deep in the mountains, so summer swimming means tubing on the Little River near Townsend or a lakeshore at Douglas Lake. The river pools are cold and can be fast after rain, and most visitors settle for a hot tub or a pool.

Pensacola is a real beach destination. Pensacola Beach and the Gulf Islands National Seashore offer long stretches of white sand and clear green water, warm enough for long swims from late spring to early autumn. Perdido Key is the quieter alternative. Watch the flags for rip currents.

Neither city is a reason to travel for food, but Pensacola eats better. Its strength is Gulf seafood: oysters, grouper and royal red shrimp at casual places on the water, plus a decent row of modern Southern kitchens and breweries around Palafox Street.

Gatlinburg feeds crowds rather than food lovers. Expect pancake houses, barbecue, fudge shops and moonshine tastings along the Parkway. Proper Appalachian cooking, such as trout, country ham and stack cake, takes some finding.

Pensacola has far more history to see. The restored houses around Plaza Ferdinand and the Seville district show its Spanish, French and British past, and Fort Pickens and the National Naval Aviation Museum fill another day. For the museum, allow for the security checks at the naval base.

Gatlinburg in town is mostly observation towers and amusements. Its heritage lies in the working studios of the Arts and Crafts Community and in the log cabins, mills and churches left at Cades Cove and Roaring Fork, which take a drive to reach.

Pensacola is the place for a night out. It has pubs, cocktail bars and rooftops around Palafox Street and the Seville Quarter, sand-floored beach bars on the island in summer, and the famous roadhouse at the Alabama line. It is still quiet outside weekends and the season.

In Gatlinburg an evening means a walk along the lit Parkway, a moonshine tasting and an early night in the cabin hot tub. The strip is empty by late evening.

Gatlinburg is the stronger choice for the outdoors. The Smokies give it dense hardwood forest, waterfall trails such as Laurel Falls, the climb to Mount LeConte and the high road to Clingmans Dome. Bears, elk and deer are seen often, and there is rafting on the Pigeon River. The cost is weekend and October traffic.

Pensacola's nature is flat and watery. It has salt marsh and dunes along the national seashore, dolphins in the bay, and clear rivers for paddling at Blackwater. Divers come for the sunken aircraft carrier offshore.

Gatlinburg has the better outings. Asheville and the Biltmore Estate are within easy reach, and the drive over Newfound Gap leads to Cherokee and its Eastern Band museum, then on to Bryson City's heritage railway.

From Pensacola the best trip is Mobile, with its old streets, Mardi Gras heritage and battleship. After that come Fairhope and the resort towns towards Destin, which feel too much like the beaches you have just left.

Gatlinburg is designed for children. Along the Parkway there are an aquarium, mirror mazes, go-karts, alpine coasters and chairlift parks, with Dollywood nearby and easy creek and waterfall outings in the park. Crowds and parking are the trade-off.

Pensacola suits families who mainly want the beach. It has calm sound-side shallows, condos with pools and a day at the aviation museum, but no theme parks, and the summer heat and storms set the pace.

Both trips need a car, but Pensacola needs one more. Gatlinburg's downtown strip is compact, and a trolley runs to Pigeon Forge, so staying in town lets you leave the car parked for a day or two.

Pensacola is spread along highways and bridges. Downtown, the beach, the naval air station and Perdido Key are all separate drives, and the buses are of little use apart from the seasonal beach trolley.

Gatlinburg has a little more to offer. Its loop of artisan studios sells handmade quilts, pottery and brooms, and the big outlet malls in Pigeon Forge are close by, though the Parkway itself is mostly fudge and T-shirts. Pensacola has a few boutiques and antique shops on Palafox Street and a Saturday market. In neither place is shopping a reason to go.

Overall costs are much the same, and the difference is where the money goes. In Gatlinburg a cabin shared by a group can be good value, but paid attractions and Dollywood tickets add up quickly for a family, and prices climb in October and over Christmas and New Year.

In Pensacola the expense is a beachfront room in summer and the hire car, while the aviation museum and the seashore cost very little.

Pensacola has a slight edge and a different kind of stage. The restored Saenger Theatre puts on the local symphony, opera and ballet, regional in scale but genuine. Gatlinburg offers family entertainment instead: dinner shows and gospel revues in Pigeon Forge, and bluegrass in the tasting rooms and at Dollywood.

Neither city has a spa culture, and they rest in different ways. Gatlinburg's quiet comes from a hillside cabin with a hot tub and mist on the ridges, well above the noisy Parkway. Pensacola's comes from the empty out-of-season island and the quiet beaches of Perdido Key.