Memphis or St. Petersburg, Florida?

This is the widest gap between the two. Memphis has no beach at all, the Mississippi is a working river with barges and strong currents, and the nearest swimming is a pool or a lake some way out of town.

St. Petersburg is the opposite: wide white sand at St. Pete Beach and Pass-a-Grille, wilder shores at Fort De Soto and the ferry-only beach on Caladesi Island, and water warm enough for long swims from late spring to autumn. The only catches are the short trip from the bayside downtown to the Gulf, and the occasional red tide.

Memphis has the more distinctive table. Its pork barbecue, whether dry-rubbed ribs, pulled shoulder or the odd local barbecue spaghetti, is a reason to travel in itself, backed by fried catfish, greens and Delta tamales. Outside Southern cooking the choice narrows quickly.

St. Petersburg eats more lightly and more casually: grouper sandwiches and smoked fish spread at waterfront shacks, brunch and chef-led kitchens along Central Avenue, and plenty of craft breweries. It is pleasant, but it has no regional cuisine with the depth of Memphis barbecue.

Memphis has more to say. The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel and the music sites of Sun Studio, Stax and Graceland deal with chapters of American history that visitors cross the country to see, even if the old townscape around them is patchy.

St. Petersburg's strength is art rather than history. The Dalí Museum is first-rate, and the Museum of Fine Arts, the Chihuly glass and the Arts and Crafts museum sit close by on the waterfront, but two or three days covers it all and the 1920s Mediterranean Revival buildings are pleasant rather than profound.

Memphis offers the bigger night. Beale Street is a loud, late party strip where you carry a drink from one blues bar to the next, and Overton Square and Cooper-Young have a more local crowd for anyone tired of the tourists.

St. Petersburg is gentler: cocktail bars, rooftops and taprooms within walking distance along Central Avenue, and tiki bars on the beaches where the evening starts with sunset over the Gulf. Neither city has much club culture, and a rowdier night here means crossing to Ybor City in Tampa.

Both are flat, but St. Petersburg puts far more wildlife within easy reach. Kayaking through the mangroves of Weedon Island or Shell Key brings dolphins, rays, wading birds and, in winter, manatees, and Fort De Soto adds coastal trails and birding.

Memphis's outdoors centre on the river and on big parks: walking the Big River Crossing into Arkansas, sunset from the bluffs, and Shelby Farms with its bison and lakes. It makes a good half-day, but it is parkland rather than wild coast.

The two are about equal for outings but different in theme. From Memphis the drive south on Highway 61 leads into the Delta's blues country, to Clarksdale's juke joints, the Blues Trail towns and Faulkner's Oxford, with Tupelo and Shiloh for Elvis and Civil War history.

From St. Petersburg the trips are more varied in character: Ybor City's cigar-factory streets in Tampa, the Ringling estate in Sarasota, Greek sponge docks at Tarpon Springs and Orlando's theme parks at a stretch. Both regions need a car, and both run thin after the first few trips.

St. Petersburg is much the better choice with children. Shallow, calm Gulf water, family-ready beach condos, the Great Explorations children's museum, the marine aquarium at Clearwater and Busch Gardens and ZooTampa across the bay fill a week with ease.

Memphis manages a few good days: the zoo in Overton Park, the Pink Palace planetarium, the Peabody ducks and the bison at Shelby Farms. After that the heat, the driving and museums aimed at older visitors make it harder work for small children.

In both cities a car does most of the work, though St. Petersburg is a little kinder to visitors without one. Its rapid bus line reaches St. Pete Beach, a trolley loops downtown, and the Pinellas Trail makes cycling practical when it is cool.

Memphis has a walkable downtown and the Main Street trolleys, but Graceland, Midtown and Shelby Farms are spread far apart, the buses are of little use and pavements soon run out. Plan on hiring a car or using ride-hailing.

Neither is a shopping destination, but St. Petersburg gives a better afternoon of browsing. The Grand Central District has vintage shops, galleries selling local glass and prints, and boutiques, and the Saturday Morning Market runs through the winter.

In Memphis the best finds are records and music memorabilia, with a handful of boutiques in Cooper-Young and on Broad Avenue. Everything else is in suburban malls.

Memphis is the cheaper trip. A barbecue lunch or soul-food plate costs little and hotels are reasonable away from festival weekends, though car hire and Graceland's admission add up.

St. Petersburg charges beach-resort prices, highest in late winter and early spring when visitors from the north arrive, plus beach parking and a hire car. Summer is cheaper if you can bear the storms, and the sand and parks themselves are free.

Memphis is a city you can plan a trip around for music. House bands play blues and soul on Beale Street from the afternoon on, Midtown has rock and hip-hop, and the Levitt Shell puts on free summer concerts where Elvis once played. The Orpheum, the ballet and the opera add a smaller formal programme.

St. Petersburg fills an evening rather than a trip. The Florida Orchestra at the Mahaffey, a regional theatre company and a converted church for concerts cover the basics, while opera and big touring shows mean a drive to Tampa.

St. Petersburg is the place to slow down. Historic beach hotels have resort spas, Pass-a-Grille stays sleepy, and watching the sun go down over the Gulf is a nightly ritual, at its most restful in the dry, mild winter.

Memphis is built for late nights rather than rest, and spa time means a hotel or a suburban day spa. Its quiet moments are an early walk in Overton Park's old forest or an evening on the bluffs above the river.