According to Widecombe's official website, there are 196 households in the village, although its large and sprawling parish stretches for many miles and encompasses dozens of isolated cottages and moorland farms. Tourism is a major source of income for Widecombe today, and within a small area there are several gift shops (including a National Trust shop), two cafes and two pubs (the Old Inn and the Rugglestone).

The village is well known for Widecombe Fair, held annually and celebrated by a folksong of the same name, featuring "Old Uncle Tom Cobley and All". Its words were first published in 1880, and the characters from the song are featured in many of the souvenirs on sale in the local shops. Also popular are the traditional Toby Jugs– a type of mug, with a handle, shaped as a three-dimensional caricature of a person's head – sometimes fictional, sometimes a celebrity. The deserted medieval village of Hutholes and the abandoned farmstead Dinna Clerks (also spelt Dinah Clark's) are nearby.