Miami or Pigeon Forge?

There is no contest here. Miami has miles of pale sand along the barrier island and a warm Atlantic you can swim in all year, with calmer, shallower water at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne for small children.

Pigeon Forge is many hours from any coast. Swimming there means a summer dip at Douglas Lake, wading among boulders in the park's streams, or the water park beside Dollywood.

Miami has real depth. You can start at the Cuban ventanitas and croquetas of Little Havana, then try Haitian griot, Venezuelan arepas and stone crab in winter, and Brickell and the Design District add a chef-led tier.

Pigeon Forge feeds you well rather than interestingly, with pancake houses, Southern buffets and barbecue along the Parkway, plus moonshine tastings. Anyone hoping for a memorable Appalachian dinner drives to Knoxville or Asheville.

Miami gives you a couple of days of real sightseeing: the pastel 1930s hotels of the Art Deco district, Vizcaya's villa and gardens on Biscayne Bay, the Perez Art Museum and Wynwood's murals.

Pigeon Forge's sights are mostly built for amusement, like the half-scale Titanic and the illusion museums. Its history lies in the 1830 Old Mill and in the log cabins and churches inside the national park.

Miami is a genuine party city. You can choose between dress-coded South Beach clubs, dawn sessions downtown, Wynwood's warehouse bars, Brickell rooftops and salsa nights on Calle Ocho.

Pigeon Forge winds down at around ten. Its evenings are dinner shows and go-karts, with a few brewpubs and moonshine rooms for adults, and anyone after a round of bars drives to Gatlinburg.

Pigeon Forge has the stronger outdoors, because the Great Smoky Mountains begin half an hour away. There are forested ridges over 2,000m, the steep Alum Cave climb to Mount LeConte, waterfall walks and black bears in Cades Cove, with wildflowers in spring and changing leaves in October.

Miami's landscape is flat and watery, but it has its own appeal. The Everglades give you alligators from the Anhinga Trail boardwalks, and Biscayne Bay and the reefs towards Key Largo suit kayaking and snorkelling, best done in winter.

Neither city is rich in excursions, but the trips are of different kinds. From Miami they follow the coast: Fort Lauderdale's canals, the Gilded Age mansions of Palm Beach and the seafood towns of the Upper Keys, though Key West is too far for a comfortable day.

From Pigeon Forge they mean mountains and small cities: Knoxville's Market Square, the Cherokee museum over Newfound Gap, and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, which fills a whole day.

Pigeon Forge exists for families. Dollywood, with its rides, crafts and seasonal festivals, plus the water park, mountain coasters and big cabins built for groups, makes a children's vacation easy to fill, and the mood is relaxed and welcoming.

Miami offers warm, calm sea, Zoo Miami and the Frost Science Museum, but it takes more effort. Outings mean long drives, and South Beach's party side is not what most parents want. Both places get hot in summer.

Neither is easy without a car, but Miami at least has walkable pockets. You can cover South Beach on foot or by bike, the free Metromover links downtown and Brickell, and ride-hailing fills the gaps.

Pigeon Forge is one long multi-lane Parkway, and you can walk only inside the attraction complexes. The trolley is slow and does not reach the hillside cabins, and you can only get to the park trailheads by car.

Miami is a luxury shopping destination. It has fashion flagships in the Design District, Bal Harbour's exclusive open-air mall and the huge Aventura Mall, plus Lincoln Road for mainstream brands.

Pigeon Forge mostly sells outlet brands, fudge and T-shirts. Its quilts, pottery and stone-ground cornmeal by the Old Mill, and the brooms and baskets from the Gatlinburg craft studios, carry more local character than Miami's malls.

Pigeon Forge is the cheaper vacation. A large rental cabin shared between families keeps lodging low per person, breakfasts and buffets are inexpensive, and the national park's trails cost little. The big bills come from theme park days and dinner shows.

Miami is expensive across the board, with high winter hotel rates, resort fees, parking and steep club drinks. Free beaches, Cuban lunch counters and a base on the mainland help to soften it.

Miami has the wider range. The Adrienne Arsht Center hosts Florida Grand Opera and touring Broadway shows, Miami City Ballet is a company of real standing, and the New World Symphony plays in its Gehry building. Little Havana adds salsa and Afro-Cuban bands.

Pigeon Forge has plenty of stages, but nearly everything on them is family entertainment: country and gospel revues, Southern comedy and big dinner shows, with bluegrass at Dollywood. For anything classical you have to go to Knoxville.

Miami has the spas. The Miami Beach and Key Biscayne hotels have full spa floors, there is sunrise yoga on the sand, and an old Russian and Turkish bath house offers banya and cold plunges. The city itself is loud, so for calm you go to Key Biscayne or Surfside.

Pigeon Forge has only a few day spas. Its idea of rest is a hillside cabin with a porch, a fireplace and a private hot tub looking over the ridges, booked well away from the neon of the Parkway.