Once upon a time, Halloween was a one-day event. Then the pumpkins and parties started moving back to the weeks between Columbus Day and Oct. 31.

Now the holiday is morphing into an entire season, at least in the tourism industry, with haunted walks, costume balls and pumpkin-carving events held throughout October. Some even start in early September, like Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disney World, which started Friday - just four days after Labor Day. In 2004, the same event at Disney World started Oct. 1.

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The Illinois Bureau of Tourism has gone so far as to trademark the term "Fall-O-Ween" to describe what it calls the state's "distinctive fifth season." Events range from the Morton Pumpkin Festival, Sept. 10-13, to Six Flags Great America's "Fright Fest," which starts Oct. 4, to the St. Charles Scarecrow Festival, Oct. 10-12. A Web site highlighting three-day getaways in Illinois for the season launches tomorrow at http://www.enjoyillinois.com/3-day.

"The fall season in Illinois is packed with events that attract a wide range of visitors, and those incorporating a spooky, Halloween element are always popular," said Jan Kostner, deputy director of the Illinois Bureau of Tourism. "Fall-O-Ween encompasses all of those great events and attractions that truly represent the essence of autumn."

Salem, Mass., which has the most authentic claim on witchy whoopla of just about any destination in the country, started a Halloween celebration 27 years ago as a one-day event for children. Now the city where witch trials were held in 1692 holds Salem Haunted Happenings from Oct. 2 to Nov. 2 - http://www.hauntedhappenings.org - and gets 30 percent of its annual tourist visitation in that one month.

"It is our busiest season," said Kate Fox, executive director of Destination Salem.

Busch Gardens in Williamsburg is celebrating 10 years of its Howl-O-Scream, which this year will feature a Masquerage, a haunted Italian palace. Howl-O-Scream kicks off Sept. 19 and continues on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 26. Details are at: http://www.howl-o-scream.com/williamsburg/index.html.

Kings Dominion's Halloween Haunt gets under way Sept. 26 and continues Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 1 with mazes, shows and scare zones. More details are at http://haunt.kingsdominion.com/.

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Hotels are embracing the Halloween theme too. The New England Inns and Resorts Association - http://www.NewEnglandInnsandResorts.com - started offering "Ghoulish Getaways" in 2004.

"We have members that tie in to a lot of fall activities - apple-picking, hayrides, mazes," said Beth Steucek, NEIRA executive vice president. Some of them also showcase local ghost stories.

The Orleans Inn in Orleans, Mass., on Cape Cod, has a "Hannah's Haunting Escape" package, named for the hotel's very own resident spirit. It's available throughout October, starting at $175 a night, and includes breakfast, a book and DVD about local ghosts.

North Carolina's Southern Outer Banks is promoting "Ghosts on the Coast" this fall, highlighting local haunted houses, pirate tales and maritime heritage at http://www.crystalcoastnc.org. In earlier times, the North Carolina coast was nicknamed the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" because about 2,000 ships sank there.