Pittsburgh or Wisconsin Dells?

Neither is a swimming destination, but the Dells does better on water. Devil's Lake, half an hour away, has sandy beaches at both ends of a clear lake beneath quartzite bluffs, and Mirror Lake and Lake Delton are closer still. In practice most visitors swim in the waterparks the town is built around.

Pittsburgh's rivers are for kayaking and rowing, not swimming. The nearest beaches are the small sandy shores of Lake Arthur, about 45 minutes north, and the better sand at Presque Isle on Lake Erie is two hours' drive away.

Pittsburgh has much more to offer at the table. The Strip District is a market street of Italian grocers, fishmongers and coffee roasters, pierogies and haluski survive from Eastern European families, and Lawrenceville and East Liberty have serious chef-led restaurants and craft breweries.

The Dells mostly feeds families between rides, with steakhouses, pizza and buffets. Its local flavour comes from Wisconsin supper clubs, the Friday fish fry and squeaky cheese curds, which are fun for a meal or two. Anyone who travels to eat will want Pittsburgh, or a day in Madison.

Pittsburgh is far ahead. Carnegie, Frick and Heinz money left a city of real institutions: the dinosaur halls and art collection in Oakland, the Gothic Cathedral of Learning with its Nationality Rooms, the Warhol Museum on the North Side and the Frick estate in Point Breeze. Then there is the view of the three rivers and their bridges from the top of the inclines.

The Dells was built for amusement. The H.H. Bennett Studio, which explains how photographs of the gorges first brought tourists here, is the one real historic stop. The upside-down houses and wax museums on Broadway are entertainment, not heritage.

In both places a night out means bars, not clubs, but only Pittsburgh has enough of them to fill several evenings. Butler Street in Lawrenceville has cocktail bars and breweries, East Carson Street is a long, loud stretch of student pubs, and on game nights bars across town fill with fans in black and gold.

The Dells shuts down early. There are a few taverns and taprooms around Broadway and Lake Delton, a cocktail at a supper club, and a casino near Baraboo for anyone who wants to stay up late. For anything livelier, people drive to Madison.

These two are about level outdoors, but the landscapes are very different. Pittsburgh is steep and wooded, with ravine trails in Frick and Schenley Parks inside the city and kayaking under the downtown bridges. Its big draw is the Laurel Highlands, where Ohiopyle has whitewater rafting and the Great Allegheny Passage cycle trail starts right in the city.

At the Dells the Wisconsin River has cut canyons through layered sandstone, best seen by boat or canoe, and Devil's Lake offers bouldery bluff trails and some of the Midwest's best rock climbing. Winter there brings cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, while Pittsburgh's winter is mostly grey.

Both have a Frank Lloyd Wright house within a drive: Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob from Pittsburgh, Taliesin at Spring Green from the Dells. Beyond that, the Dells has a slightly better spread. Madison, a lakeside state capital with a domed Capitol and a Saturday market, is an hour away, and Circus World, the crane foundation and House on the Rock are all within reach.

From Pittsburgh, Ligonier's fort and the Flight 93 memorial complete the Highlands route, but then the options thin out into farmland. Both need a car.

The Dells is built for children to a degree Pittsburgh cannot match. It has huge indoor waterpark resorts that stay warm through the winter, hotels with their own slides, and go-karts, coasters and mini-golf only minutes away by car. The weak spot is teenagers who tire of water rides.

Pittsburgh suits families who want variety over thrills. The Science Center's submarine, the free-flying birds at the National Aviary, the dinosaur halls and Kennywood's old wooden coasters all go down well, and older children get more out of it, but the hills and distances mean more time in the car.

Pittsburgh is the easier of the two without a car, though only at its centre. Downtown is compact, bridges lead on foot to the North Side and the Strip, the T runs underground, and the inclines climb Mount Washington. Reaching Oakland or Lawrenceville means buses or ride-hailing.

In the Dells you drive everywhere. The resorts and attractions are spread along highways that are unpleasant to walk, and only a few blocks of Broadway are worth strolling.

Neither is worth a shopping trip, but Pittsburgh has more character. The Strip District's stalls and kitchenware, the vintage and independent shops on Butler Street and the boutiques on Walnut Street in Shadyside make for pleasant browsing.

The Dells sells souvenirs, T-shirts, taffy and cheese along Broadway, and these shops carry much the same stock. Its outlet centre for mainstream brands is mainly useful on a wet afternoon.

Both are mid-priced by American standards, with Pittsburgh a little easier on the budget. Its hotels, including downtown, cost well below coastal cities, though tips and rides between neighbourhoods add up.

In the Dells the cost depends on the season and on how much you do. Peak summer at a waterpark resort, with tickets and extras, gets expensive quickly for a family. Older motels, off-season stays and free state parks bring it down.

Pittsburgh has a real stage scene. The symphony plays at the gilded Heinz Hall, the Benedum hosts opera, ballet and touring musicals, and the Hill District carries the jazz history that August Wilson wrote about. Indie bands play the clubs of Lawrenceville.

In the Dells, shows mean magic acts, dinner shows and touring tribute bands at the Lake Delton theatre. Theatre lovers drive an hour to Spring Green's outdoor classical theatre in summer.

Neither place has a bathing culture to build a restful trip around, so in both a quiet day comes down to spa treatments and green space. In Pittsburgh the treatments are massages at hotel and neighbourhood day spas. The real calm is found outdoors or under glass: an afternoon in the tropical warmth of Phipps Conservatory, or the ravine paths of Frick and Schenley Parks. For a resort-style spa weekend, you have to drive out into the Laurel Highlands.

The Dells has that kind of break closer to hand, which gives it a slight edge. The larger waterpark resorts have full-service spas on site, and an adults-only retreat in the woods lets parents slip away from the family for a day or two. The catch is the setting. The town runs on slides and arcades, so for real quiet go out on the river at dawn or come outside the summer season.