Rehoboth Beach or Stowe?

The gap here is as wide as the map suggests, with one town on the Atlantic and the other in the Vermont mountains. Rehoboth's wide sand runs right in front of the boardwalk, with lifeguards on duty. When the town beach is crowded, Cape Henlopen and Delaware Seashore State Park have wilder, more open stretches.

In Stowe all the swimming is in fresh water: cold holes in the mountain streams, and small unguarded sandy shores at Waterbury Reservoir and Lake Elmore, each about half an hour's drive away. They make a good break from a hike in July, but you could not plan a beach vacation around them.

For small resorts, the two eat about equally well, and both are known for their beer. A famous Delaware brewery started out in Rehoboth, and Stowe is surrounded by the Vermont breweries known for hazy IPAs. The real difference is what reaches the plate. Rehoboth means Mid-Atlantic shore food: steamed blue crabs, crab cakes, raw bars and boardwalk fries soaked in vinegar, plus a cluster of chef-led restaurants along Rehoboth Avenue.

Stowe's food is inland and comes from the farms: cheddar, maple syrup, cider doughnuts and farm-to-table dining rooms along Mountain Road, with pub food after skiing. In both towns the choice shrinks out of season and there is little street food.

Neither town is a sightseeing trip, and an afternoon covers what each has to offer. In Rehoboth the interest lies in its beginnings as a Methodist camp meeting in the 1870s, the old cottages that survive from then, and the Rehoboth Art League's gardens in Henlopen Acres. For more history, Lewes and the wartime towers at Cape Henlopen are close by.

Stowe is more about the view than the sights: a New England village with a white steeple and covered bridges, a ski and snowboard museum, and the von Trapp family's estate on the hillside.

Rehoboth has much livelier evenings. As a long-standing LGBTQ resort, it has piano lounges, drag nights and friendly bars around Baltimore Avenue. Dewey Beach, just to the south, adds big deck bars and younger summer crowds.

Stowe's nights revolve around après-ski: base-lodge bars and brewery taprooms fill up when the lifts close, then go quiet early because people want to be on the first lift. Neither town has real clubs, but from Stowe a proper night out means driving to Burlington.

Rehoboth's outdoors is flat and coastal: the tall dunes and salt marsh of Cape Henlopen, kayaking and paddleboarding on Rehoboth and Indian River bays, dolphins offshore in summer, and the Assateague ponies within an hour. It is pleasant and easy going, with no hills at all.

Stowe is in another league for anyone who wants to be active. Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak, has long ski runs, glades and a large cross-country network in winter. Summer brings the Long Trail, the boulders of Smugglers' Notch, waterfalls and mountain biking, and in early October the valley turns red and gold.

Rehoboth has the more varied outings. Lewes and its maritime museums are ten minutes away, and the ferry across Delaware Bay makes Victorian Cape May an easy day out. Further along the coast are Ocean City's bigger boardwalk and the island village of Chincoteague.

From Stowe the choice is a handful of Vermont towns: Burlington on its lake, the folk art and steamboat at the Shelburne Museum, and Montpelier with its gold-domed statehouse. It is a pleasant circuit but a shorter one, and from both bases every trip needs a car.

Rehoboth is the easier family vacation. Lifeguarded sand is steps from the rental houses, Funland's gentle rides and the ice cream and taffy on the boardwalk keep small children happy, and Cape Henlopen has calm bay water and a nature centre.

Stowe suits active families who ski or hike. It has a big ski school with beginner slopes, sugarhouses to visit in summer, and a resort built for children on the far side of Smugglers' Notch. There are few dedicated attractions, though, and every outing needs the car.

Once you have parked, Rehoboth is far simpler. Downtown, the boardwalk and the beach are a short, flat walk apart, bikes are everywhere, and a seasonal trolley runs to Dewey Beach and the outlets. Getting there is the hard part: there is no train, and the highway jams on summer weekends.

Stowe stretches about 11km along a single valley road. Beyond the village centre and the riverside recreation path you need a car, or the winter shuttle bus up to the slopes, and steep, snowy roads make driving harder in ski season.

Rehoboth is the better place to shop, helped by Delaware's lack of sales tax. Large outlet centres on the highway draw shoppers from several states, and Rehoboth Avenue adds independent boutiques, bookshops and galleries.

Stowe's shops are small and local: ski and outdoor gear, pottery, woodwork and wool, with maple syrup and cheddar the obvious things to take home. Neither town has luxury shopping.

Neither town is cheap, but Rehoboth costs somewhat less. Rooms and rental houses near the beach are expensive in summer, but the beach itself is free and rooms are much cheaper in spring and autumn.

Stowe adds lift tickets, ski hire and resort dining to high prices for rooms, and it is most expensive in the ski weeks and the October foliage season. Motels along the valley road, brewery food and the free trails help keep costs down, especially in spring and November.

Both towns have a modest stage that is busiest in summer. Rehoboth has a little more to do on an ordinary evening: free concerts at the bandstand, a small theatre company staging musicals and cabaret, the autumn film festival and live piano in the bars.

Stowe's programme centres on the performing arts centre at Spruce Peak, which brings touring musicians and comedy, plus summer concerts on the hillside lawns linked to the von Trapp family's musical legacy. For anything bigger, Rehoboth visitors drive south within Sussex County and Stowe visitors go to Burlington.

In Rehoboth, relaxing simply means coming when the town is quiet. It has a few day spas and yoga studios, and the boardwalk is empty for long walks in June, September and on autumn weekends, but high summer is loud.

Stowe takes rest more seriously. Its larger resorts have full spas with saunas, steam rooms and heated outdoor pools where you can sit in hot water as the snow falls, and couples come for spa weekends. Country inns with wood fires and silent evenings in the valley do the rest.