Sarasota or Wilmington?

Sarasota has the better beaches. Siesta Key's fine white quartz sand and the flat, shallow Gulf water are hard to beat for easy swimming, and Lido Key is only a short hop across the causeway from downtown. The sea stays warm well into autumn. The one thing to watch is red tide, which now and then closes stretches of shore.

Wilmington's beaches are good but take more effort. Wrightsville, Carolina and Kure Beach each mean a drive out from the river city, and the open Atlantic brings rip currents and a shorter swimming season. It does have a little more surf and a boardwalk atmosphere.

Neither city is a reason to travel for food, and they are broadly level, but the flavours are different. Sarasota eats Gulf grouper and stone crab, has polished bistros around St Armands Circle aimed at winter visitors, and has the odd delight of Amish pie in Pinecraft.

Wilmington is more Southern and more casual: shrimp and grits, raw oyster bars, vinegary eastern Carolina barbecue and a cluster of craft breweries at the north end of downtown.

The two are close, but they offer different kinds of sightseeing. Sarasota has one great institution: the Ringling, with its Baroque art collection, the Ca' d'Zan mansion and the circus museum, plus scattered mid-century modernist buildings for architecture fans. It has no old streets to wander.

Wilmington is the reverse. It has no single major museum, but its large historic district of antebellum houses, live oaks and riverfront warehouses is the main sight, and the Battleship North Carolina adds Second World War history.

Wilmington is the better night out. University students help fill the bars and rooftop terraces around Front Street at weekends, and the beach towns add bars in summer. It still is not a clubbing city.

Sarasota's evenings are gentler and older in tone. Most people have a sunset drink at a Siesta Key Village beach bar or a glass of wine on Main Street and are home early. Anyone wanting more drives to Tampa.

Sarasota makes wildlife easy to see. At Myakka River you can watch alligators on the banks and walk the canopy walkway through the treetops, and manatees and dolphins turn up in the bay while you paddle. Boating and kayaking weather lasts right through the winter.

Wilmington's outdoors are wilder and more tied to the open sea. Kayakers can cross to undeveloped Masonboro Island, surfers find real waves at Wrightsville, and the pine savanna of Carolina Beach State Park holds the wild Venus flytrap. Neither coast has any hills to climb.

From Sarasota the best days out lead to bigger cities. You can visit the Dalí Museum and waterfront in St Petersburg, the old cigar district of Ybor City in Tampa, or the Edison and Ford winter estates at Fort Myers, though Orlando's theme parks are too far for a day.

Wilmington's outings are to small historic towns along the coast. You can take the ferry from Southport to car-free Bald Head Island, see the Civil War earthworks at Fort Fisher, or make the longer drive to colonial New Bern and the old port of Beaufort.

Both suit children, with Sarasota slightly ahead because its sea is so calm and shallow and it is warm enough for more of the year. Mote Marine's aquarium and the Ringling's giant model of a circus round out the days.

Wilmington is a summer family destination. Carolina Beach's boardwalk rides and arcades, the aquarium at Fort Fisher and climbing around the battleship are real highlights, but rip currents mean keeping a closer eye on the water.

Both are car country, and neither has useful public transport. Sarasota's sights sit close together, but you face backed-up bridge traffic to the keys in winter. A free trolley helps along Siesta Key.

Wilmington's walkable historic core and riverwalk are pleasant to explore on foot. The beaches, however, are a longer drive through the suburbs, with summer parking to fight for.

Sarasota is the better place to browse. St Armands Circle gathers resort wear, jewellery and galleries in one easy loop, and Main Street and Palm Avenue add independent boutiques.

Wilmington's shopping is smaller and more old-fashioned. It runs to antique dealers, bookshops and the restored Cotton Exchange downtown, plus surf shops at the beaches, and neither city has any luxury depth.

Wilmington is the cheaper of the two, with reasonable city hotels outside summer and fair-priced fried seafood and barbecue. Its prices peak in summer beach season.

Sarasota's high season is winter. From January to April the beachfront on Siesta Key and Longboat Key costs the most, and dining runs at resort level. Staying on the mainland helps, and in both places the hire car is an unavoidable extra.

Sarasota is well ahead here, with a programme unusual for a city its size. A resident opera company plays in a restored 1920s theatre, the ballet is known for Ashton, and the Asolo Rep and a full orchestra season run through autumn to spring.

Wilmington's scene is friendlier and more local. There is theatre and touring shows at the historic Thalian Hall, and summer bands play by Greenfield Lake and the river, with jazz and blues festivals added in.

Sarasota is the more restful choice. Its slow pace is the point, and it has resort spas on the keys and sunrise yoga on the sand. It also has the rare draw of Warm Mineral Springs, a spring-fed pool that stays warm all year, about forty minutes south.

Wilmington offers the calm of a quiet waterfront town and ordinary day spas, but it has nothing comparable for a dedicated spa stay.