St. Petersburg, Florida or Wilmington?

The Gulf side wins on both sand and water. St. Petersburg's barrier islands have fine white sand and calm, shallow sea, from St. Pete Beach and old Pass-a-Grille to the wilder shores of Fort De Soto and ferry-only Caladesi Island. The water stays warm enough for a proper swim over a much longer part of the year.

Wilmington's three beach towns each have their own character: polished Wrightsville, Carolina Beach with its boardwalk, and quiet Kure. But this is the open Atlantic, cooler for most of the year, with rip currents on some days and lifeguards only in season. In both cities downtown sits on other water, a bay in one and a river in the other, so a beach day starts with a short drive.

Neither city is a food destination, and both lean on seafood and craft beer, but the flavours differ. St. Petersburg is about Gulf fish: grouper sandwiches, smoked fish spread and stone crab claws in season, with Tampa's Cuban sandwiches and Ybor City's Spanish cooking across the bay.

Wilmington tastes of the Carolina coast instead: shrimp and grits, local oysters at raw bars and the vinegar-sauced whole-hog barbecue of the east. Its modern Southern kitchens sit in old brick buildings downtown.

St. Petersburg has the stronger museums. The Dalí Museum, in its concrete-and-glass building on the waterfront, is a real draw, and the Museum of Fine Arts, the Chihuly glass and the James Museum of western art are within walking distance of it.

Wilmington's appeal is the townscape rather than the galleries. Its large historic district of antebellum and Victorian houses under live oaks, the Bellamy Mansion and the Battleship North Carolina across the river tell the story of an old Southern port. That makes it a better city for a history walk, but there is less to see indoors.

In St. Petersburg the evening often starts at a beach tiki bar as the sun goes down over the Gulf. Then it moves to the cocktail bars, rooftop terraces and brewery taprooms along Central Avenue, which are all close enough to walk between. Anyone after a louder, later night crosses the bay to Ybor City in Tampa.

Wilmington's nights out are younger and depend more on the season. University students fill the pubs and rooftops around Front Street at weekends, and beach bars at Wrightsville and Carolina Beach open in summer. Outside summer, weeknights are quiet, and neither city has much of a club scene.

The two are well matched, with flat, watery coastal landscapes and no hills, but they are best in opposite seasons. St. Petersburg is for winter paddling through mangroves at Weedon Island and Shell Key, where manatees, dolphins and rays are common, and for cycling the long Pinellas Trail.

Wilmington's highlights are boat-only Masonboro Island, surfing off Wrightsville and the wild Venus flytraps of Carolina Beach State Park, a plant found nowhere else in the world. They are best enjoyed in the warmer months, accepting the marsh insects.

St. Petersburg has more varied outings. Ybor City's cigar-factory streets in Tampa, the Ringling mansion and circus museum in Sarasota and the Greek sponge docks of Tarpon Springs are all very different days, and Orlando's theme parks are just within range.

Wilmington's best trip goes south to Southport, with Fort Fisher and Brunswick Town on the way and the ferry to car-free Bald Head Island at the end. Beyond that the next good towns, New Bern and Beaufort, are about two hours away.

St. Petersburg is the easier choice with young children. The Gulf's gentle surf and shallow water are made for paddling toddlers, and Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium and ZooTampa across the bay, with Orlando's parks further out, give plenty for days off the sand.

Wilmington is a good summer family base, with old-fashioned rides on the Carolina Beach boardwalk, the aquarium at Fort Fisher and a battleship children can climb through. However, the Atlantic's rip currents call for more care, and there are fewer big attractions.

Both are car country with a walkable old centre. St. Petersburg has a small advantage because a downtown trolley and a rapid bus to St. Pete Beach let visitors reach the most popular sand without driving. In Wilmington the riverwalk ties the historic district together nicely, but the beaches are at least 15km away and few visitors use the buses.

St. Petersburg's independent shops lean towards the creative. There are vintage clothing and record shops along Central Avenue and in the Grand Central District, galleries selling local glass and prints, and the Saturday Morning Market downtown in the winter season.

Wilmington's shops feel older, with antique dealers, bookshops and boutiques on Front Street and inside the restored Cotton Exchange. Neither has a luxury street, so for brand names you drive to Tampa's malls from St. Petersburg, or to the suburban shopping centres outside Wilmington.

Wilmington is the cheaper of the two, especially for hotel rooms in the city and simple meals of seafood and barbecue. Its prices climb in summer, when the beach rentals fill up.

St. Petersburg has its highest prices in late winter and spring, when northern visitors arrive. It is cheaper in the hot, stormy summer. In either city a hire car and tax plus tip on restaurant bills add to the cost.

The two are broadly level, with modest scenes that fill an evening. St. Petersburg has the Florida Orchestra at the Mahaffey Theater on the waterfront, and Tampa's large arts centre for opera and ballet. Wilmington's charm is Thalian Hall, a restored 19th-century opera house, along with summer bands by Greenfield Lake and long-running jazz and blues festivals.

St. Petersburg is the better place to unwind. The large historic beach hotels have proper resort spas, and quiet Pass-a-Grille and the nightly sunset ritual on the Gulf set a slow rhythm, helped by mild, dry winters.

Wilmington is also calm, especially on the waterfront outside summer weekends. But its spas are day spas rather than retreats, and its cool winters are less suited to lazy days outdoors.