Stakeholders and staff move to combine agritourism and 'agritainment,' favor state definition

Loudoun County staff and Western Loudoun stakeholders on April 24 agreed that the zoning ordinance should not retain separate, competing terms for agritourism and agritainment and recommended instead adopting the state agritourism definition.

At issue is how the county regulates farm‑based visitor activities — from “pick‑your‑own” and educational farm tours to harvest festivals and corn mazes — and whether those activities should sit under the zoning code’s agricultural support standards or under the county’s cultural‑tourism rules.

Staff overview and state definition

Planning staff told the committee the current local distinction between agritourism (regulated under cultural tourism) and agritainment (regulated under agricultural support uses) is “murky” and can produce inconsistent outcomes. During the meeting a stakeholder, Justin Wish, read the state definition on the record:…