Gatlinburg or Virginia Beach?

On beaches there is no contest. Virginia Beach is a beach resort through and through. It has a long pale strip of sand beside the boardwalk, warm Atlantic water in late summer and surfing, plus quieter sand in the dunes at Sandbridge and on the calm bay shore by First Landing.

Gatlinburg is a mountain town far from any sea. Swimming in summer means cold, clear river pools, tubing on the Little River near Townsend, or the lakeshore at Douglas Lake, and the currents call for care.

Virginia Beach has the better food, mostly thanks to the water. Lynnhaven oysters, Chesapeake blue crab in crab cakes or she-crab soup, and the day's catch served dockside around the inlet make a real local table, even if the Oceanfront itself relies on chains and buffets.

Gatlinburg feeds a resort crowd with pancake houses, barbecue, fudge and moonshine tastings. Proper Appalachian cooking, such as trout, country ham and stack cake, takes some finding. Keen eaters drive to Knoxville or Asheville, much as diners in Virginia Beach head to Norfolk.

Neither town is built for sightseeing, but Virginia Beach has more history of its own. Cape Henry, where English colonists landed in 1607, the old lighthouse and the Adam Thoroughgood House make a solid half-day, and there is a small contemporary art museum near the Oceanfront.

Gatlinburg itself is attractions and motels rather than heritage. Its best culture is the Arts and Crafts Community, a loop of working studios. The mountain past survives out in the park, in the cabins and mills of Cades Cove and along the Roaring Fork.

Virginia Beach is the place for a night out, at least in summer. Beach bars, rooftop decks and sports bars along Atlantic Avenue fill with vacationers and sailors, and Town Center has calmer cocktail bars. Clubs are scarce in both towns.

In Gatlinburg an evening means a stroll along the lit Parkway, a moonshine tasting and an early night in the cabin hot tub. The strip empties by late night, and there is little reason to stay out.

Gatlinburg is much the stronger choice for the outdoors. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park begins where the town ends. It has hardwood forest, waterfall walks, the climb up Mount LeConte and the high road to Clingmans Dome, along with black bears, elk and fireflies in spring. The drawback is traffic on the park roads at weekends and in October.

Virginia Beach is flat coastal country, but it still has good nature. The cypress swamp and dunes of First Landing, the marshes of Back Bay and False Cape, and kayak trips to watch dolphins make good outings, though there are no hills.

Virginia Beach has the better day trips, above all the Historic Triangle an hour away. Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and the Yorktown battlefield make a first-rate history day. The battleship and art museum in Norfolk, and Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks, add range.

From Gatlinburg the best day out is Asheville and the Biltmore Estate, with the drive over Newfound Gap to the Cherokee museum and village a close second. Knoxville, the heritage railway at Bryson City and the shows in Pigeon Forge fill out a shorter list.

Both towns are made for family vacations, so the choice is mountains or seaside. Gatlinburg packs the Parkway with an aquarium, mini golf, alpine coasters and parks reached by chairlift, and Dollywood is next door. The park adds bear sightings, creek wading and junior ranger badges, but expect traffic and queues in high season.

In Virginia Beach the days centre on sand and sea. There are gentle bay beaches for toddlers, sea turtles and otters at the Virginia Aquarium, and bikes to rent on the boardwalk. The theme park near Williamsburg and the costumed tradespeople of Colonial Williamsburg are within an hour.

You need a car in both, but Gatlinburg is a little easier without one. Its downtown strip is compact, and a trolley loops through town and out to Pigeon Forge, so hotel guests can leave the car for a day or two. The hillside cabins and the park still need a car.

Virginia Beach is walkable only along the Oceanfront boardwalk, where a trolley runs in summer. Beyond that it is suburban sprawl with sparse buses, so getting to Sandbridge, First Landing or Town Center means driving.

Neither is a shopping destination, but they sell different things. Gatlinburg's Arts and Crafts Community, where you buy quilts, pottery, brooms and woodwork from the makers, is the more rewarding find, and the outlets in Pigeon Forge cover the brands.

Virginia Beach is chain-store territory, with a regional mall and Town Center. Its surf shops have deep roots, though, and make a better buy than the T-shirts sold on either town's strip.

Gatlinburg is slightly easier on the wallet. Big cabins shared between families and older motels can be good value, especially midweek and in winter, and the national park costs little. The attractions on the Parkway and at Dollywood soon add up, though.

Virginia Beach is costly at its summer peak, when oceanfront rooms and beach houses are expensive. Rooms get much cheaper out of season, and the beach and state parks cost little or nothing, but running a car adds to the bill.

Virginia Beach has more to offer, mainly through its neighbour. Norfolk, half an hour away, is home to the Virginia Opera, the Virginia Symphony and the Virginia Arts Festival each spring. In town, a large amphitheatre draws touring rock and country acts, and free summer concerts play along the boardwalk.

Gatlinburg's live entertainment is the family show: dinner theatres and country revues in Pigeon Forge, and bluegrass in the moonshine tasting rooms. Mountain music is its real strength, but for orchestras or serious theatre you have to go to Knoxville.

Neither has a bathing culture, and both offer only a few hotel spas and day spas. The difference is in how you rest. In Gatlinburg it means a secluded cabin with a hot tub on the deck and mist on the ridges, well above the noisy Parkway.

In Virginia Beach it means an early walk on the boardwalk, or a visit in spring or autumn, since high summer brings crowds and noise to the Oceanfront.