Louisville or Wisconsin Dells?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Wisconsin Dells comes closer. Devil's Lake has sandy beaches at both ends of a clear glacial lake under quartzite bluffs, and Mirror Lake and Lake Delton are good for paddling, though only from about June to early September. Most of the swimming happens in the waterparks anyway.

In Louisville, the Ohio is a working river with barges and strong currents, so swimming means pools or a drive out to the reservoir lakes in the Kentucky countryside.

Louisville has a real food identity. Its bourbon bars and downtown distillery tasting rooms come with Kentucky dishes such as the hot brown, Benedictine spread and Derby pie, and the more ambitious Southern and farm-to-table kitchens are in NuLu, the Highlands and Butchertown.

Wisconsin Dells mostly feeds families between attractions. Its local character comes from supper clubs with brandy old fashioneds, the Friday fish fry and squeaky cheese curds, which are enjoyable for a meal or two, but anyone who cares about food will end up in Madison.

Louisville gives you two or three good days of sightseeing. Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum, the Muhammad Ali Center, the Slugger and Frazier museums among Whiskey Row's cast-iron façades, and the mansions of Old Louisville add up to a city with a clear story.

Wisconsin Dells has the H.H. Bennett Studio, which explains how photographs of the gorges first brought tourists here, and some exhibits on the Ho-Chunk Nation. Beyond those, Broadway's upside-down houses and wax museums are fun but not heritage.

Neither has much of a club scene, but Louisville has a proper bar culture. You can choose between the long run of dive bars and patios on Bardstown Road, the cocktail and bourbon bars in NuLu and Butchertown, and late licences that let a night run on. Derby week in spring is when the city goes out hardest.

Wisconsin Dells goes quiet once the slides shut. A few taverns, brewery taprooms and a casino near Baraboo are about it.

Wisconsin Dells has more striking scenery right on its doorstep. The Wisconsin River cuts sandstone canyons that you can explore by boat or kayak, and Devil's Lake adds quartzite bluffs, boulder trails and serious rock climbing. Autumn colour and winter cross-country skiing extend the season.

Louisville's strength is its Olmsted parks, wooded Cherokee and Iroquois, and the fossil beds at the Falls of the Ohio. Mammoth Cave is the big draw further out, but the countryside around the city is rolling farmland rather than anything dramatic.

Louisville has the stronger list, and it has a clear theme. Bardstown and the distillery roads toward Frankfort and Lawrenceburg make up bourbon country, and Lexington's horse farms and Keeneland, Shaker Village and Lincoln's birthplace are all easy drives.

From Wisconsin Dells, the best outings are Madison on its isthmus, Taliesin and House on the Rock at Spring Green, and Circus World in Baraboo. It is a varied list, if a shorter one. Both need a car.

Wisconsin Dells is the place for children. Its huge indoor and outdoor waterparks, go-karts, rollercoasters and duck boats are close together, and the indoor resorts keep it working in midwinter. Teenagers may tire of the rides before younger children do.

Louisville is a pleasant family city rather than a family destination. The zoo, the Science Center, Kentucky Kingdom and the Mega Cavern's underground ziplines fill a few days, but they are spread out and summers are humid.

Both need a car, but Louisville is easier without one. Downtown along Main Street, the waterfront and NuLu are walkable together, and ride-hailing covers the rest.

In Wisconsin Dells, only a few blocks of Broadway are pleasant on foot. The resorts and outlets sit along highways that aren't safe to walk, and the nearest regular flights land in Madison, about an hour away.

Louisville has a little more to browse. There are design shops and galleries in NuLu, and vintage clothing, records and antiques on Bardstown Road. Rare bourbon bottles from the distillery shops make the best thing to take home.

Wisconsin Dells has souvenir and cheese shops along Broadway that carry much the same stock, plus an outlet centre that is handy on a wet afternoon.

Overall costs are much the same in both, but your money goes on different things. In Louisville, hotels are reasonable outside racing season and the parks and Old Louisville are free, but tips, tax and a car push up daily spending, and rooms soar during Derby week.

In Wisconsin Dells, the season and the number of rides decide the bill. Summer weekends at the big resorts add up fast for a family, while off-peak stays in the older motels and the free state parks keep things moderate.

Louisville has a full set of resident companies. The orchestra, Kentucky Opera and Louisville Ballet play at the Kentucky Center, Actors Theatre stages new American plays, and there are summer concerts at the Iroquois Amphitheater and bluegrass in the bars.

Wisconsin Dells offers magic shows, dinner shows and touring tribute and country acts in Lake Delton. Anyone who cares about theatre will drive to the summer classical stage at Spring Green.

Wisconsin Dells has a slight edge for a few days of unwinding. Several resorts have full spas, an adults-only retreat in the woods gives parents a real break, and early mornings on the river or the empty off-season lakes are calm, even if summer weekends are loud.

Louisville has hotel spas and porch-sitting in the Highlands, but for a proper spa break you would drive to the old mineral-spring resorts of French Lick and West Baden Springs.