1.) Make sure your tires are up to snuff, it only dusted the other day in southern Vermont and I saw at least 3 flipped out-of-state cars without winter/studded tires.

2.) Do they like fine dining? In Walpole, NH there's a chocolaterie and restaurant called Burdick's, the tea room has phenomenal pastries, handmade chocolates, desserts, and drinking chocolate, which blows watery hot cocoa out of the water. They also have a restaurant side that does amazing cocktails and food (this is a $$ joint)

3.) We have a ton of pancake houses, cozy diners, and artisans over by Dummerston/Putney/Westminster; glassblowers, pottery, winery, hikes, madam Sherie's castle ruins and walks which are gorgeous in the winter when snow falls.

4.) Rutland is gross, if you want a busier city with options, try Burlington, a ton of eateries and places to see up North.

January is a dead month except for the ski towns, but there are skating rinks, sledding options and lifts, and nature hikes and walks.

If you're gunna look at the more rural towns, farmlands, the valley, make sure you have a good paper map and download the region on gps before you go too far around the mountains, it's a good chance you might get stuck in the snow at some point.

Vermont is best enjoyed in June-Sept, we have snow till May most years.