Milwaukee or Wisconsin Dells?

Neither is a beach destination, and the difference lies in the water more than the sand. Milwaukee has a proper urban beach at Bradford Beach, below the East Side bluffs, with volleyball courts and cabanas. But Lake Michigan stays cold and can turn colder overnight when the wind shifts.

Around the Dells the lakes are smaller and warmer. Devil's Lake, half an hour south, has sand at both ends under quartzite bluffs and gentler water by midsummer. Most children there do their swimming in the waterparks anyway, which takes the weather out of the equation.

Both share the Wisconsin table of supper clubs, Friday fish fry, cheese curds and brandy old fashioneds, but Milwaukee has far more of it and more besides. Its brewing past lives on in taprooms across Walker's Point and the Third Ward. The Public Market is good for grazing, and the South Side adds strong Mexican cooking.

In the Dells, meals mostly fit between attractions: steakhouses, buffets and pizza along the strips, with fudge on Broadway for dessert. Keen eaters staying there tend to save themselves for a day in Madison.

Milwaukee has enough for two or three full days. There is the Milwaukee Art Museum in its white lakefront pavilion, the Harley-Davidson Museum, the Pabst Mansion, the Basilica of St Josaphat and the cream-brick warehouse streets of the Third Ward.

The Dells has the H.H. Bennett Studio, which tells how one photographer's pictures of the river gorges started local tourism. Beyond that there are mainly the wax museums and upside-down houses of Broadway, which entertain children but are not heritage.

After dark the gap is wide. Milwaukee has a corner tavern on almost every block, the loud sports-crowd strip of Water Street, Brady Street's mix of dive and cocktail bars, and the city's LGBTQ bars in Walker's Point. All of it is at its liveliest on summer patios.

The Dells goes quiet when the waterparks close. What's left is a few taverns, brewery taprooms, supper-club bars and a casino near Baraboo. Neither has much of a club scene, but only Milwaukee gives you a choice of neighbourhoods for a night out.

The Dells has the better landscape. The Wisconsin River cuts sandstone canyons there that are best seen by boat or kayak. Devil's Lake adds quartzite bluffs, boulder trails and some of the Midwest's best rock climbing, and winter brings cross-country skiing.

Milwaukee's outdoors is gentler and more urban: Olmsted's Lake Park on the bluffs, long flat cycle trails along the shore and a river you can paddle right through downtown. Its wilder escape, the Kettle Moraine, is about an hour away.

Both have Madison within reach, but Milwaukee has the stronger list because Chicago is about an hour and a half away by train. It's an easy big-city day that needs no car. Racine's Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, the old mills of Cedarburg and the garden village of Kohler are all close by.

From the Dells every outing needs a car, though the choice is still good. Spring Green has Taliesin and the House on the Rock, and Baraboo has Circus World and the International Crane Foundation. Small towns such as Mineral Point make a quieter alternative.

For children the Dells wins by a wide margin. The indoor waterpark resorts stay warm through winter and the outdoor parks are huge. Go-karts, mini-golf and duck-boat rides fill the gaps, and younger children may never want to leave the hotel.

Milwaukee suits families in a calmer way, with the County Zoo, Discovery World's freshwater aquariums and the Mitchell Park Domes. It also holds the attention of teenagers who have had enough of slides. Its appeal for families drops in the cold months.

Neither is easy without a car, but Milwaukee's centre at least works on foot. Downtown, the Third Ward and the lakefront are compact, the Riverwalk links them, and The Hop streetcar and city buses cover the core. The city also has its own airport.

In the Dells you drive between everything, because the highway strips towards Lake Delton are unpleasant to walk along. Only a few blocks of Broadway are made for strolling, and the nearest regular flights land in Madison, about an hour away.

Milwaukee has the more interesting browsing. The Third Ward warehouses hold independent boutiques and design shops, and Brady Street has vintage and record shops. At the Public Market you can buy Wisconsin cheese and sausage to take home.

The Dells offers rows of souvenir shops along Broadway with much the same stock. Its large outlet centre for mainstream brands is handy on a wet afternoon. Beyond that, there's little to plan a day around.

Overall costs are similar, and both are moderate by American standards. What differs is where the money goes. In Milwaukee much of the best is free, such as the lakefront, the parks and many festivals, and taverns and fish fries are cheap. Hotel rates jump on big festival and game weekends, though.

In the Dells the bill grows with ride tickets and resort extras, especially on summer weekends and during school vacations. Older motels on the strips and off-season stays stay fairly moderate. In both places a hire car adds to the total.

Milwaukee has a full stage for a city of its size. There's the Milwaukee Symphony, the Florentine Opera, the Milwaukee Ballet and the Rep, and touring bands play the ornate 1895 Pabst Theater. Every summer, Summerfest fills the lakefront with music for weeks.

The Dells offers magic shows, dinner shows and touring country or tribute acts at a theatre in Lake Delton. If you want serious theatre while staying there, you drive to the outdoor classical stage at Spring Green or into Madison.

Neither is a place to come for rest, and the two differ in where you find it. In Milwaukee the calm is outdoors and costs nothing, on a slow walk by the lake or along the river, but a proper spa day means driving an hour north to Kohler.

The Dells works the other way round. The spas are inside the big resorts, a lift ride from your room, so a parent can have an afternoon of treatments without getting in the car. Step outside, though, and the waterslides and arcades make the town noisier than Milwaukee's lakefront, especially on summer weekends.