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Widmer World

4.7 (76 reviews)
Closed 6:00 pm - 9:00 PM

Widmer World Photos

Recommended Reviews - Widmer World

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Amy Y.

I found this place on Google and decided to come check it out. You definitely need to get out and park to really experience all of this. This isn't a drive-by location so make sure you park in the neighborhood or a short walk away and you can see amazing decor. What this is it's in the backyard of a person's home so you have to make sure you do the walk-through. It does get crowded especially in the evening, but the line does move pretty fast. Overall, this was such a cool experience. I've never seen anything like this. The collections are very cool the way that they set them out and design them is also very impressive. They're usually open from 6 to 9 PM and open from December 1 to December 31 weather permitting. So you have an entire month to go visit this place.

Leanna L.

Lovely visit to get into the holiday spirit! So many cute things to see and they have a scavenger hunt. Parking is street parking around the neighborhood. They have several spots for photo opportunities as well.

12-29-24. Peanuts Display
Lloyd C.

My wife had always heard of this place but this was the first time visiting. I never heard of this place but now I do! These two families go all out in their decorating and making a "Christmas World" for all to enjoy! It gets pretty crowded so it is recommended to park in the neighborhood away from the court and walk in. Otherwise you will be blocked in. LOL. They have many themed displays like train sets, Barbie, Disney, Santa, Peanuts, reindeer, etc. It's fun and neat to see all they've amassed and created, built. They even have a "fake snow" maker. You have to take your family, loved ones to experience this!

There was a big line but we lined up anyway. The place was very beautiful, they have different kinds of Christmas characters collection, like Santa, Woodstock, Disney and they have this beautiful Christmas village. They even have this big Christmas lit palm tree and they have a machine that blew fake snowflakes. It was so beautiful, it was free and they just have this box that asked for donations. This place was just so amazing! There was plenty of street parking in the other streets, just have to walk a bit.

Renee F.

What an absolutely fun, holiday experience. You start with the beautiful decorations in the front of the house, then you enter a holiday world filled with every type of collections, motorized trains sets, and a roller coaster built with Technics. So much compacted into an acre property. Everything you can imaging in a Christmas theme. The family was there to tell us all about how their collection blossomed and grew into what they have now. It was a real treat! They do close if it rains (due to all the electrical outlets and wires) but worth the drive out to Pleasanton.

Skip M.

The Widmer family do a wonderful job helping spread holiday cheer and wonder with amazing displays and collections that are vast and magical. Just as a recommendation, make sure to bring bring plenty of coins to throw in some of the displays to make a donation... You can imagine the utility cost!

Amazing displays, cute and fun scavenger hunt, my toddler loved it, friendly atmosphere

Chris L.

"Classic Christmas Display" This was our first time to this unbelievable home. We had to park a block or two away, and wait in line for about 20 minutes, but it was well worth the wait. The display starts from the side yard and winds around and comes out on the other side. You will not believe what they have in here! It's like a ride at Disneyland, except it's free. Naturally, they have lots of Santa Claus decorations, including Santa's Village. There are also little mini rides. No, you can't ride them but they're still fun to watch. Perhaps my favorite was the train display near the end of the tour. A few of the creators were on-site, and we had a chance to thank them for this waterfall creation. The neighbors on the right side are relatives. In fact, they actually started the whole creation, then passed it to their in-laws. If you're in the area, or even if you're not, come by and check out Widmer World in beautiful Pleasanton.

Benny H.

If you don't like this place, you don't like Christmas. It's basically a house/backyard that has been turned into a Christmas wonderland. I was amazed as to how much is actually here for simply being a house. They did a fantastic job. Seriously. If you live in the Bay Area and love Christmas, then you owe it to yourself to visit this place.

Joyce Z.

End of the year, end of a decade, 2019 saw my 10,000th Yelp photo, and now my 100th review of the year with my 1,000th review.  My favorite part of the holidays have always been the decorations and the lights all around the Bay and often away with many old faves that I never get tired of seeing every year - https://aroundthebayandaway.blogspot.com/2019/12/christmas-by-bay.html.  Some have come and gone like the curtain of lights and Little Village that use to be the focal point at the Hyatt Embarcadero so it is always exciting to discover something new even though it has been around and have expanded over 30+ years.    Welcomed with lighted trees in sync with Christmas music, you are about to enter Widmer's World where their yards are turned into a lighted wonderland with displays ranging from Disney to Snoopy to Nutcrackers to the Dept 54 village and much much more.  Enjoying at a leisurely pace, you can easily spend 30 minutes there soaking it all in so is an even larger scale than Deacon Dave's which is already impressive in its own right.  Those coke cans you see in the displays are part of a fun scavenger hunt for you to find while the reindeer coin toss is a great way to get rid of those extra coins while helping offset their costs.  This year, it is planned to be open through January 5th weather permitting since it is outdoors even if certain displays itself are covered.  They start setting up the display in August and I suspect the last isn't put away until April so show them some love and make a donation after you enjoy it so they can continue this tradition for another 30+ years.   Having a perfect example of what I love about the holidays as my 1000th review just seems fitting.

Entrance
Carolen M.

After our sugar induced coma from our cookie exchange, our bud mentioned there was a house just nearby that had a whole Christmas light display. So to help with our digestion before having more food (savory dinner of course), we decided on going to Widmer World. I didn't know what I was expecting. Maybe a bit of what I've seen on the Great Light Fight type shows and wow...it was pretty much on that scale and in Pleasanton for that matter. In short, a fun free Christmas activity but come early as the lines as it may take up to 45 minutes to get to the front of the line (we came on a Saturday night at 7:30pm and line was out the cul de sac and around the corner) and then getting through the display can take up to half an hour to an hour depending on how long you want to walk through and really experience what they've done. For the kids they have a mini scavenger hunt (which I participated in cause who doesn't like a scavenger hunt?). They also have areas to help donate to their spot as it is free. At the end you can watch a slide show of how they set up for the event yearly. It was nice to do something festive like this but if you don't want to wait in long lines, I would recommend seeing the display during the week instead of the weekend as it was quite packed or if you must do it on the weekend, go when it opens.

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1 year ago

Free entry and a wonderful Christmas decoration. Good place for visiting with family.

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1 year ago

Words cannot describe it all! Go see it! Well worth the trip. Mind boggling! Fun!! How do the set it up and take it down!!

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1 year ago

Closed when it literally says Open Bruh. It's my birthday and this ruined my entire day

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Ask the Community - Widmer World

Review Highlights - Widmer World

This is the work of art light display and in itself a very big non profit project of Christmas lights display.

Mentioned in 24 reviews

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People searched for Local Flavor 423 times last month within 5 miles of this business.

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Downtown Main Street

Downtown Main Street

(3 reviews)

Very cool vibe on Downtown Main Street!!…read more This street is historic, and you can tell they push to keep it that way. It's walker and driver friendly. It seems to be a place, at least when I was there on a Saturday late afternoon, evening, for people to take out there classic cars and cruise the strip. And if you want to walk, there are plenty of places to eat with indoor and outdoor seating, all different types of small shops and stores, just a lively, popular area. Seems like the place to be in Pleasanton on the weekends!!

Downtown Pleasanton, basically, Main Street. 4-6 small blocks filled with restaurants and cute…read moreshops with a small town feel. Most all of the restaurants are built into the street, at least on weekends. According to the website, https://www.pleasantondowntown.net, from April 30, 2021 to September 6, 2021, Friday 5pm to Sunday 8pm. The dates will likely be extended due to the variant. Things to do: 3/5 Safety: 4/5 Cleanliness: 4/5 GEOGRAPHY/FACTS *: ==================== Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, Adjacent to Hayward, Livermore, and Dublin. The city has a total area of 24.3 square miles. Located in the Amador Valley, it is a suburb in the East Bay region of the Bay Area. The population was 70,285 at the 2010 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in the United States by the Census Bureau. Pleasanton was ranked number 4 in USA Today's list of "America's 50 best cities to live in" in 2014, number 63 in Money's list of "The Best Places to Live" in 2010, and was named one of "Americans' Top Hometown Spots" in the United States in 2009 by Forbes. Pleasanton was named the third wealthiest city in terms of earnings in the United States by NerdWallet in 2013 and 2016. * Source: Wiki TOP 5 EMPLOYERS **: ================== 1 Workday 5,017 2 Kaiser Permanente 3,730 3 Oracle Corporation 1,493 4 Stanford Healthcare - ValleyCare 1,020 5 Roche Molecular Diagnostics* 1,004 ** according to the city, as of June 2021

Porky's Pizza Palace - Pleasanton

Porky's Pizza Palace - Pleasanton

(612 reviews)

$$

I've been to Porky's many times. For casual meals with the family, for networking events, to watch…read moresports. The food is good, the beer selection as awesome and the atmosphere is super casual and fun. It can get a little noisy at times, but there's plenty of outdoor seating for more quiet. What I like best about it is that it really feels like you're going to a place that treats its employees and its customers like family. I'm not a big reviewer, but I felt compelled to share my last experience with Porky's. After ordering, I stopped by the ladies room before going to get a beer. One of the stalls was out of toilet paper and all I could think about was that Seinfeld episode. Wanting to help someone avoid an embarrassing situation, I went to the counter to let them know. The person I tried to tell was kind of rude and waved me off. It was really weird because every other interaction I've ever had with employees there is best described as hospitality instead of just service. I was going to shrug it off. Everyone has off nights, but it was just so out of character for this place I felt I had to say something. I submitted an online comment via their website and figured that was that. Two days later, I got a phone call from Patsy. She was appreciative that I brought it up, asked for more details and promised a follow up. A few days after that, I got a very nice handwritten card from her letting me know they had worked with the employee, who was sorry and was just having an off day. My own mother doesn't send me handwritten cards anymore. I was never going to write the place off after a single incident, but this kind of care for people means I will always keep this place in rotation when the "what do you want for dinner?" Question comes up.

Pizza is fire Pasta is not…read more Absolutely love their pizza, the service, multiple TVs, inside and outside seating. I hate to dock it one star, but tried their pasta and ravioli tonight and it was meh. The sauce is no bueno.

First Wednesday

First Wednesday

(8 reviews)

Every time I try to go to an event in downtown Pleasanton I am reminded that I would never want to…read morelive there. Parking is a nightmare and the city blocks off many access streets. Cars, people, and dogs everywhere! I am not really sure what all the booths have to offer as I couldn't get near one as there are too many people with tiny dogs on long leashes that will take you down very quickly. But they are extremely cute little dogs. Add to that all of the gifts left by the 'Doggies' during the parade that there is an unmistakable odor wafting through the air that will take your appetite away. The best part is the Doggie Parade and the Beer Garden. For $5 bucks you can get either a full beer glass or a full glass of wine. Not just samples. There is a live band as well that is nice to listen to while you check out all the bad hair, fake tans, and general 'situations' running around. When they closed Aura did everyone just start coming here instead? The problem is that instead of spreading out into the roped off area everyone crowds up by the booths spilling their vino all over you and your feet. C'mon people there will still be wine left for you even if you do go more than ten feet away. As we were leaving there was a huge crush of people hanging out by the entrance to the beer garden. Not people trying to get in but those under 21 trying to get a contact high from the beer and wine fumes. I think I will go to the next one and dress up my pups in their finery and join the parade.

First Wednesday starts in May (?) through September every year. There's a beer garden, booths, food…read moretrucks and various activities for kids spread throughout. This past First Wednesday featured an adorable pooch parade along with a game truck and one or two food trucks and other vendors. There's also an art area where local artists make art right in front of you for purchasing. A lot of the stores stay open a little later so you can browse while walking around. If you order from the beer garden, you'll have to stay in that area because you're not allowed to walk around with an open container in the area. If you're looking for something to do, then stop by. If I'm not busy, I'll go with a few friends and wander for a bit.

Brava Garden Eatery - Eggplant Polpette (meatless meatballs)

Brava Garden Eatery

(843 reviews)

$$$

Great back patio, delicious menu…read more My husband and I popped by for a late lunch on a Friday, and their back patio was almost full. We ordered their Brusselsprouts and short rib sandwich to share and the proportions were perfect, just enough food and we didn't leave a morsel behind. Their short rib sandwich was heavenly and the chimichurri sauce plus grilled peppers elevated the experience. If you're torn about ordering a full shareable of the habanero fries, here's an insider tip: we asked for a side of their habanero sauce to go with our side of fries so we would still have enough room for their short rib sandwich! Their sprouts were phenomenal. Loved the sweat punch added by the cranberries and shaved carrots to balance the charr of the brussels. Will 1000% be returning to check out their dinner menu. I haven't had a milanesa since I was in Argentina, but I trust Brava to meet the assignment!

Came here on a Sunday afternoon. The place was packed but still had space in the back patio. I…read morereally enjoyed the cute aesthetics and the decor for the back patio. - Ambiance was 4/5: really liked the outdoor seating and area. Nice place to chill and enjoys some sun. - Service was 3/5: servers were nice and came to refill water when it was low. Not too much interaction as it was busy. - food was 3/5: presentation was nice but I felt the taste was lackluster. The empanadas were good but nothing that stood out. The sandwiches were really heavy, short rib was kind of messy and fell out of the bread, flavor was bland without using the sauces. The steak sandwich was a tad chewy, also bland without the sauces. The fries however were amazing, crispy and fresh.

The Upside-Down Airplane - must've flown away :(

The Upside-Down Airplane

(5 reviews)

Drumroll...... For…read moremy widely anticipated 500th review, I present to you the upside-down airplane!!! Now I had a hard time agonizing over whether or not I wanted to put this little known local curiosity up into the spotlight, but I figured that it would be worth it for you yelpers! So, what exactly is the upside-down airplane? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. You gather a bunch of friends with a heady sense of adventure and get in the car. Start out in Fremont on Morrison Canyon Road and go past the residential area and then go up into the mountains and wind around for a bit and choose the right forks in the road, and you'll reach a dead end. At this dead end, you can see some gates barring you from entering any further into private property. If it's a sunny day or you just happen to have good eyes, you can spot this little airplane that is built upside down on top of this tower. How curious... If you're out at night or if you're unlucky, an old man with a big light will come out of his trailer and chase you away. That means RUN FOOLS!!!!! With your heartbeat thudding wildly in your ears, you drive down the windy mountain road, your demise only an arms width away, until it somehow dumps you off in Sunol. Don't worry...680 is nearby, so you can hop back on the freeway and mosey on home. If you're here for other reasons, there are lots of private little spots to pull off on the side of the road, and you'll often see cars parked off to the side with the windows fogged up. I wonder what they could be doing in there? Hm. There you have it Yelpers! You have torn from me the one spot that no one has ever heard of. Don't abuse it too much! So what's the story about this place? I guess since I'm writing an expose, I should go all the way... Apparently the upside down airplane is the location of a test antenna site for a company called TRW. The wire mesh model of the upside down airplane is supposed to act like an antenna. There are lots of antennas set up around here for whatever purposes, who knows? Supposedly they are still in use. They've been up here for many many years, and been the source of entertainment for many high school and college kids. This spot is passed down through word of mouth and car rides at night...until now. Watch out, they have security here year round and will chase you away. Why? Because you're not supposed to be here. If you would like to pursue this curiosity some more there are many pictures for your entertainment. And if you're lucky, maybe I'll take you up there myself one day ;)

Ride your mountain bike up there ...... You'll need to stop a time or 2 to stuff your heart & lungs…read moredown ..... Have fun on the way down!

De La Torre's Trattoria - Slow braised Swiss Steak

De La Torre's Trattoria

(711 reviews)

$$

De La Torre is one of those places you would probably drive past without realizing what you are…read moremissing. It is tucked into an unassuming shopping center, but absolutely worth seeking out. Once inside, it feels less like a restaurant and more like you have been invited over to a friend's dining room. It is warm, relaxed, and genuinely welcoming. The service hits that perfect balance. It is friendly, attentive, and never overbearing. You feel taken care of without it being a production. The food really delivers. The special, chicken thighs stuffed with smoked ham, was standout and memorable. The margarita pizza is exactly what you want it to be. It is simple, well executed, and perfect for sharing. Do not let the "small" size fool you. It is easily enough for two, maybe even three if you are catching up over drinks. Portions across the board are generous. The fish entrees are especially impressive. The salmon alone felt like it had to be close to half a pound. All of this comes at prices that feel more than fair for the quality and quantity you are getting. This is definitely a spot worth returning to. I am already looking forward to coming back to try the paninis for lunch.

I wouldn't rave about this restaurant but it's not bad either. It's just your plain Italian food…read more More like Olive Garden but more expensive. I would recommend the hostess that greets you to have a smile or be more pleasant. The food like I said was average. We each had appetizer and main course. Bread is free for first serving but $4.50 for more. Steep for cold bread. Salad was delicious but the bruschetta was horrible. Capellini was bland. We skipped desert. If you have nowhere else to go, okay to come here but I most likely won't return.

Widmer World - localflavor - Updated May 2026

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