Gatlinburg or St. Petersburg, Florida?

This is the biggest gap between the two. Gatlinburg has no beach at all. Swimming there means cold, clear river pools such as the Little River near Townsend, or a drive of about forty minutes to Douglas Lake, and for many visitors the cabin hot tub ends up standing in for the sea.

St. Petersburg is a real beach destination. St. Pete Beach and Pass-a-Grille have fine white sand and gentle, shallow water, Fort De Soto feels wilder, and Clearwater and Caladesi Island are within reach to the north. The beaches are a short ride west of downtown, and in summer the afternoon storms or the odd red tide can cut a beach day short.

St. Petersburg eats noticeably better. Gulf seafood is the base, with grouper sandwiches and stone crab in beach fish shacks, chef-led kitchens along Central Avenue, a strong craft beer scene, and Ybor City's Cuban cooking across the bay.

Gatlinburg cooks for a resort crowd. You get pancake houses, barbecue and Southern comfort food on the Parkway, with fudge and moonshine tastings in between. Good Appalachian trout, country ham and stack cake do exist but take some finding, and keen eaters drive to Knoxville or Asheville.

St. Petersburg has far more to see. Its waterfront museum cluster is anchored by the largest Dalí collection outside Spain, and close by are the Museum of Fine Arts, the Chihuly glass, Western art and Arts and Crafts collections. Murals and 1920s Mediterranean Revival buildings add some street interest, and two or three days covers it.

Gatlinburg's landmarks are an observation tower and mountaintop amusements. Its real heritage is the Arts and Crafts Community loop of working studios, and the old cabins, mills and churches out at Cades Cove and the Roaring Fork, which are half-day outings rather than town sights.

Neither is a clubbing town, but St. Petersburg at least has a night out. Central Avenue's cocktail bars, rooftops and taprooms are close enough to walk between, the beach tiki bars start the evening at sunset, and Ybor City across the bay is there for a rowdier night.

In Gatlinburg the evening is a stroll along the lit Parkway, a moonshine tasting and perhaps a brewery terrace. By late night the strip is empty, and most people end the day in the hot tub at their cabin.

Gatlinburg wins clearly here. It is the front door to the Great Smoky Mountains, with hardwood forest and streams minutes from town, walks to Laurel and Grotto Falls, the climb up Mount LeConte and the high road to Clingmans Dome. Bears, deer and elk are part of the trip, and the seasons bring wildflowers, fireflies and October colour. The busiest roads jam at weekends and in leaf season.

St. Petersburg's outdoors is flat and watery. The best of it is paddling through the mangroves at Weedon Island or Shell Key past dolphins and manatees, birding at Fort De Soto and cycling the Pinellas Trail. It is pleasant, but there are no hills to walk.

The two are about even here, and both run short after a handful of outings. From Gatlinburg the trips head into the mountains. Asheville and the Biltmore Estate are the highlight, and Cherokee over Newfound Gap tells the story of the Eastern Band, with Knoxville and the Bryson City railway as extras.

St. Petersburg's trips are towns along the coast. There are Ybor City's cigar-factory streets in Tampa, the Ringling in Sarasota, the Greek sponge docks of Tarpon Springs and the old beach villages of Anna Maria Island, with Orlando's theme parks at the far limit of a day.

Gatlinburg is the more child-centred place. The Parkway is one long row of aquarium, mazes, coasters and chairlift parks, and Dollywood is a short drive away. The national park adds creek wading, easy waterfalls and junior ranger badges, and big shared cabins make staying with several families easy. The cost is queues, crawling traffic and tight parking in high season.

St. Petersburg suits a family beach trip best. The shallow Gulf water is ideal for small children, and Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium and the Clearwater dolphins are within a drive. The midday summer heat is hard going, though.

Getting around is about equally awkward in both. Each has a small walkable core with a trolley, and beyond that you need a car. What differs is the terrain. Gatlinburg's cabins sit up steep, winding roads that can be tricky in winter, and Parkway and park traffic can stall for long stretches.

St. Petersburg is flat. It has a rapid bus line from downtown to St. Pete Beach and good cycling on the Pinellas Trail in cooler months, though the other beaches and Tampa still call for driving.

There is little to choose between them, and neither has luxury or fashion. Gatlinburg's best buys are handmade quilts, pottery, brooms and woodwork sold from the makers' own studios on the crafts loop. Otherwise its Parkway is candy kitchens and souvenirs, with outlets in Pigeon Forge.

St. Petersburg leans towards vintage, records, local boutiques and art glass on Central Avenue, plus the winter Saturday Morning Market, and shoppers who want brands drive to the Tampa malls.

Gatlinburg is the cheaper of the two, mainly because a big cabin shared by a group spreads the cost and the national park costs little to enjoy. The money goes on Parkway attractions and Dollywood tickets, and prices jump in leaf season and from Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year.

St. Petersburg charges full beach-resort prices, highest from February to April. Most visitors also pay for a hire car and beach parking, so summer or a room inland is the way to save.

St. Petersburg has the more serious stage. The Florida Orchestra plays at the Mahaffey Theater, and there is a professional regional theatre, a former church used for concerts and live bands at weekends, with Tampa's big arts centre across the bay for opera and ballet.

Gatlinburg's entertainment is the family dinner show in Pigeon Forge, plus bluegrass and country picking in the tasting rooms. Mountain music is the real draw, and you have to go to Knoxville for anything classical.

The two are broadly level. Neither has a bathing tradition, and both rely on a few resort and day spas, so the difference lies in the kind of calm. In Gatlinburg it is a hillside cabin above the noise of the strip, with a hot tub and mist on the ridges.

In St. Petersburg it is sunset on the sand, the sleepy streets of Pass-a-Grille and the shade of the banyans downtown, and it is most restful in the mild, dry winter.