Miller Tree Inn Bed and Breakfast
The Miller Tree Inn Bed and Breakfast in Forks, Washington operates in a farmhouse built in 1916. The B&B offers lodging in 8 guestrooms. All the rooms have their own private bathrooms. Three of the rooms include whirlpool tubs and gas fireplaces. A stay at the Miller Tree Inn includes a breakfast including a cereal and pastry bar, fresh fruit and an entree. In addition, the bed and breakfast plays a unique part in the town's connection to the famed Twilight series of novels by author Stephenie Meyer (see Forks, Washington).

Twilight
When the Forks Chamber of Commerce began offering tours based on locations from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga novels (see Forks Chamber of Commerce Twilight Tours), there was not a specific location that the Cullen house had been based on in Forks. The Miller Tree Inn was determined to be a good match for the house where the fictional vampire coven resides. The Inn has agreed to be part of the fun and served as the Cullen house during those tours and has since become a fixture in Twilight lore.

In the novels, the Cullens are a coven of vampires started by "vegetarian" vampire Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle, who has existed for nearly 400 years, survives on a diet of animal blood and works at the local hospital (see Twilight Saga: Forks Community Hospital). His "family" consists mostly of people he turned into vampires out of mercy because they were dying. In turn, all of them follow Carlisle's practice of not feeding on humans.

Besides Carlisle, there are six other members of the Cullen clan.

Esme Cullen, Carlisle's wife, is slightly over one hundred years old. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, She was living in Wisconsin when she became a vampire. Esme was turned by Carlisle after she attempted suicide in despair over the death of an infant. She appears to be 26 years old.

Edward Cullen, Carlisle's adopted son, is barely more than a hundred years old in the Twilight novels. Edward originally hails from Chicago, Illinois, where he was turned into a vampire to spare him from dying from the Spanish flu as a teenager. Edward falls in love with the mortal teenage girl Bella Swan, providing the main plot for the Twilight novels.

Emmett Cullen, another adopted son, is over 70 years old. He was turned into a vampire at the age of 20. Carlisle did it to save him from dying from wounds sustained in a bear attack. Emmett is originally from Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Rosalie Hale is Emmet's wife. She was born in Rochester, New York (see Rochester, New York) and is just shy of turning 100 years old. She was turned at the age of 18. Carlisle saved her after finding her dying in streets. She'd been the victim of rape and beatings at the hands of her drunken fiance and his friends. While she doesn't drink human blood, she did take the lives of the men who attacked her while she'd still been mortal.

Alice Cullen, an adopted daughter, was born in Biloxi, Mississippi. She is slightly over one hundred years old and still has the physical appearance of a 16 year old. She was sired by a vampire other than Carlisle while committed to an insane asylum. She didn't retain her memories of her life prior to becoming a vampire. She has the psychic ability to see visions of the future. It was apparently this ability that got her committed as mentally ill to begin with.

Jasper Hale is Alice's husband. While more than a 160 years old, he is frozen at the age of 20. Jasper came from Houston, Texas. He fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Jasper is another vampire who was turned by someone other than Carlisle Cullen. He took human victims initially, but eventually turned away from it due to his empathic abilities making him experience his victims' last moments.

The Cullens originally were in the Forks area in 1936. They spent a few years residing there, residing in the Washington city of Hoquiam (see Hoquiam, Washington) before moving yet again. After spending some time in Denali, Alaska, the Cullens return to Forks in 2003.

Twilight (2008)
When it came time for the film adaptation of Twilight in 2008, the production company, Summit Entertainment, opted to have northern Oregon fill in for the various Washington locales featured in the series. In the case of the Cullen House, a more modern, rather extravagant, house in the Portland area was chosen to fill in (see Twilight (2008): The Cullen House). The house had caught the eyes of the filmmakers after it was featured in a magazine called Portland Spaces. It was designed by architect Jeff Kovel of Skylab Architecture and built by Charlie and Lucy Metcalf for Nike executive John Hoke and his family. Reportedly Hoke really liked the idea of his house being used as the home to a family of sophisticated vampires and allowed filming to proceed in both the interiors and exteriors. Because of his profession, members of the production team dubbed the structure the "Nike House."

New Moon (2009)
After Oregon was unable to offer the same incentives for the filming of the sequel to Twilight (the funds had been allocated to a different production), production was again relocated to Canada and the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Production on New Moon took place in Canada and France between the months of March and May of 2009. This time, a Vanouver-based residence was selected to fill in as the Cullen House (see New Moon (2009): The Cullen House). Interestingly enough, the new home has also been recognized as a significant achievement in architecture - this time designed by the late, award-winning architect, Arthur Erickson. Sharp-eyed movie fans might also recognize the home from its appearance in the 2007 drama, Martian Child, starring John Cusack. Since Summit Entertainment opted to shoot the adaptations of the second and third novels back-to-back, it is believed that this home will also appear in the 2010 entry in the Twilight series, Eclipse.

The Location Today
By all accounts, the Miller Tree Inn Bed and Breakfast has fully embraced its role in Twilight lore and tourism. The establishment has even made sure to place the name "Cullen" on their mailbox, as well as established an elaborate blog (see Related Sites below) that keeps fans up-to-date with the inn's latest happenings, as well as the latest happenings in Forks around the Twilight theme. Fans from all over have descended upon the inn and the owners have even encouraged them to discover which room they think fits each member of the family best.