Outer Banks or Poconos?

This is the clearest gap between the two. The Outer Banks have well over 100 miles of Atlantic surf beach, ranging from the beach-house rows of Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills to the wild, dune-backed shore of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. In high summer the sea is warm enough for a long swim, though rip currents call for care.

The Poconos have no sea at all. Swimming means guarded lake beaches at state parks such as Promised Land and Hickory Run, or a tube floating down the Delaware. That is pleasant on a hot afternoon, but it is something you add to a stay rather than plan one around.

The coast has the better table, mostly thanks to its seafood. Steamed shrimp, soft-shell crab, local tuna and fish bought at the Wanchese and Hatteras docks give meals a real sense of place, and Duck and Nags Head add a few more ambitious kitchens.

The Poconos eat more plainly: diners, taverns, resort dining rooms and Pennsylvania Dutch baking such as shoofly pie. The best meals are in the bistros and brewpubs of Jim Thorpe, Stroudsburg and Milford, and the back-road wineries make an easy afternoon.

The Outer Banks have the weightier history. At Kill Devil Hills you stand where powered flight began, Fort Raleigh recalls the vanished colony of the 1580s, and the lighthouses at Currituck, Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras are landmarks in their own right.

The Poconos tell a smaller, more local story of coal and railways, centred on Victorian Jim Thorpe, the Asa Packer Mansion and the miners' houses at Eckley. Grey Towers in Milford is the standout. Both places have only a handful of sights, but the coast's carry more national significance.

Neither is a place to go out, and evenings in both end early. On the coast that means a sunset drink on a sound-side deck or a brewery taproom along the bypass, and a few spots stay lively on summer weekends.

The Poconos are quieter still, but they differ in kind. The casino resort at Mount Pocono has the region's only late gaming floors, and the ski areas run après-ski bars on winter weekends.

Both are strong outdoors, and the difference is water against woods. The Outer Banks are flat and open, with dunes, marsh and shallow sounds. Rodanthe and Avon are world-class for kiteboarding and windsurfing, wild mustangs roam north of Corolla, and Pea Island draws huge flocks of migrating birds.

The Poconos give you forested ridges and rivers instead. There is the Delaware Water Gap with the Appalachian Trail along its crest, waterfalls such as Bushkill and Dingmans, rafting in the Lehigh Gorge, October colour and winter skiing. Hikers will find far more here than on the coast's short forest trails.

The Poconos have more within reach. Moravian Bethlehem and its old blast furnaces are about an hour away, Scranton has its railway and mine museums, and New York or Philadelphia are possible on a long day.

From the Outer Banks, the one outing that really stands out is the ferry to Ocracoke. Colonial Edenton and Norfolk add a couple of decent days, but the islands' position at the end of the road keeps the list short.

Both are classic American family escapes, but the Poconos edge ahead because they work in any weather. Indoor waterpark resorts around Mount Pocono, the alpine coaster on Camelback and gentle learning slopes keep children busy in rain or snow.

The Outer Banks offer the simpler pleasures of a beach week: crab-catching, Jockey's Ridge, the aquarium on Roanoke Island and the wild-horse tours. The calm sound side is safe for toddlers, but the surf needs watching and a wet day leaves little to do.

You need a car in both places, but the Poconos are easier to cover. Most drives take under an hour, and coaches run from New York to Stroudsburg and Mount Pocono.

The Outer Banks stretch along a single long road. Corolla to Hatteras village takes a couple of hours, Ocracoke needs a ferry, and summer changeover Saturdays can jam the bridges. Within the central towns, though, the bike paths make cycling pleasant.

On the Outer Banks, shopping follows the beach highway: surf and kite shops, big souvenir and beachwear stores, and a small outlet centre in Nags Head. The better finds are in the galleries and craft shops of Duck, Manteo and Ocracoke, where local pottery, decoys and coastal paintings make good keepsakes.

The Poconos give a little more to anyone with brand names in mind, thanks to the large premium outlet centre beside the interstate at Tannersville. Away from it, the antique dealers of Jim Thorpe and Milford and the maple syrup at farm stands fill a slow afternoon, though this is still rainy-day browsing rather than a reason to come.

The Poconos are the more affordable of the two, especially midweek, when cabins and older motels are good value. Waterparks and lift passes still carry full prices.

The Outer Banks are expensive in summer, when oceanfront houses often rent only by the week. Sharing a big house and cooking fish from the docks helps a lot. In both places the best of the outdoors costs little.

Neither is somewhere to plan a trip around live performance, and the difference is one set piece against a spread of small stages. The Outer Banks have a single tradition worth an evening: the open-air Lost Colony drama on Roanoke Island, which tells the settlers' story where it happened. Apart from that, there are summer bands on bar decks and little once the season ends.

The Poconos have no show with that sense of place, but they give you more nights to choose from. Delaware Water Gap has its long-running late-summer jazz festival, the Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe books folk and roots acts, and Stroudsburg's old theatre takes touring rock and comedy. Most of it is touring acts, so check what is on before you go.

The Poconos are built for rest in a way the coast is not. There are hot-tub couples' resorts, destination spas around Lake Wallenpaupack and Hawley, and grand old lodges with their own treatments. A cabin after snow is the region at its most restorative.

On the Outer Banks, relaxation comes from the pace of the place rather than from spas. The quiet villages of Hatteras Island and Ocracoke in spring or autumn are the place for it.