Rules and Regulations
Beach House Parking and Beach Access
The Citadel Beach House provides faculty, staff, and students a convenient place to park to go to the beach. Our parking lot is not open to the general public and any unauthorized vehicles are subject to ticketing and possible towing. Life Members of the Alumni Association and members of the Citadel Brigadier Foundation are allowed to use the facility. All vehicles parked at the Beach House must have proper identification in the form of a campus parking permit for faculty, staff, or students, or a decal from the Association or Foundation indicating membership.
For weddings and other rental events, we ask that the renter provide a small parking pass for each guest's vehicle that indicates the renter's name, the date, and the time of the event. In the past, parking passes have been included in wedding programs or simply left in our lobby for pick-up by party attendees.
Reservation Process
If you are able to secure a reservation, we will need to get some contact information from you in order to mail out the contract. We will ask for the correct billing/mailing address, multiple phone numbers, the event's start time, and the number of party attendees. The signed contract is to be accompanied by a deposit check - the deposit is non-refundable. The deposit for the Ballroom is $500. For the Blue & Grey Room, we require full payment in advance, and the advance payment is non-refundable.
What does the rental include?
Rental of the Citadel Beach House Ballroom includes the use of the kitchen, ballroom, mezzanine level, and use of our tables with chairs. The rental is from 11am-11pm. Set-up of the Ballroom can begin as early as 11am, and all parties must stop at 11pm. The building should be closed and completely vacant by midnight - if the cleanup process could potentially last beyond midnight, the party should end earlier to accommodate the process. Please consider catering cleanup, entertainment / band breakdown, replacing of our chairs and tables, rental company's pickup of rented equipment - all activity needs to be complete by midnight and all guests and workers should be out of the building.
When renting the Ballroom, the rental includes the inside of the facility only. You are allowed to use the porches, the ground level patio, and the lawn, but the exterior of the Beach House is available for use by other visitors also. Please understand that our property is used by the Citadel Family, and they are allowed to park and walk to the beach at any time. Also, our beach goers are given access to the restrooms on the back porch of the main Beach House. When you rent the house, you are not renting the entire property and you are not allowed to ask other guests to vacate the premises, regardless of your facility rental or your event plans. We expect our rental groups and beach goer groups to at all times act with respect towards all other visitors on our property. Any problems or issues should be reported to our staff immediately.
The lawn of the beach house cannot be rented alone. Wedding ceremonies on our lawn are quite common and they are allowed, however during the months of May through September, an outdoor ceremony cannot take place on our property prior to 4pm Set-up for an outdoor ceremony or event cannot begin before 2pm. The 2pm / 4pm requirements are in place to allow us to entertain our beach-goers as well as our facility rental guests and is an attempt for us to strike a balance between the groups of guests that we have during the warmer weather. During the months of October through April, we do not have the time restrictions for ceremonies and setup, but that is not to say we don't have beachgoer traffic in the other months. Please take this into consideration when planning your event timeframe.
Tables: There are 20 60-inch round tables, 4 7-foot rectangular tales, 4 8-foot rectangular tables available at no charge.
Chairs: There are 200 chairs available at no charge.
Please understand that the tables and chairs inside the house MUST stay inside the house. If you need tables and chairs for an outdoor event, you will need to rent them from a rental company of your choice.
We do not have a staff that can set up or arrange the furniture for you in the Ballroom. Each rental party is responsible for their own event setup, and the group is also responsible for returning the furniture to the proper storage areas after the event.
How many people will The Citadel Beach House accommodate?
The number of people that the beach house accommodates will be determined by your table set-up. If you plan to have a sit down dinner, your numbers will be limited to less than 165 people. If you plan to have a buffet type meal, the numbers will be decreased to 150 people. The Blue & Grey room is a covered picnic area with ten picnic tables. The capacity of "the Shed" can reach 300.
What do we need to do before our event?
Please schedule all vendors and communicate our facility rules and access times to the appropriate parties. We will unlock the doors at 11am for a Ballroom rental, but it is helpful for us to know what time the majority of the group will arrive, as well as what time the various vendors will arrive. If you are having things delivered, please ensure that someone is there to receive the items and sign the necessary paperwork. Our caretaker is not allowed to do receiving for your parties.
What do we do the day of the event?
Renters are responsible for all set-up and break down of the tables and chairs. Set-up for events usually moves a little faster, but the end of night process can be lengthy depending on how large the party is. All parties are required to end at 11pm - no exceptions. All materials brought into the beach house must be removed that night by midnight. We do not allow anything to be set up earlier than the day of the party or be left after the party. Items that are left on the property are not the responsibility of The Citadel.
Payment
At the time of the reservation, a non-refundable deposit of $500 is required. This deposit will be applied to your balance. Blue and Grey Room rental costs must be paid in full in advance. All remaining balances are due within 60 days of your event. An invoice will be mailed prior to the balance due date. Questions about billing can be answered by calling (843) 953-BOOK or by email.
What's Allowed?
Fundraising activities of any kind are not allowed in our facility, nor can admission be charged at the door for facility access.
Cash bars are not allowed.
Kegs are allowed, but cannot be located in the Ballroom. Kegs would have to be located on our patio or on one of our porches.
There is a monetary penalty if we are forced to clean up broken glass, and ultimately, we prefer that you use canned beer and plastic cups if possible.
Rice, sparklers, flower petals, bird seed & confetti are not allowed inside or outside of the house.
No items are allowed to be stapled, nailed, or glued to the walls. If anything is attached to the walls, it must be approved by the caretaker or facility manager.
Tables and Chairs that are used inside of the house must stay inside the house or the porches.
Table cloths are not provided by The Citadel Beach House. These items can be rented or your caterer may provide them.
If candles are used inside the house, protective plates must be used to catch the hot wax so that it does not damage the floor or furniture.
Catering
Our preferred caterer is Iron Gate Events. Iron Gate Events handles all dining services on campus, and they can be reached at (843)953-2522 or (843)953-6951 for catering questions.
Outside caterers are allowed at The Citadel Beach House. If you choose to use an outside caterer, a penalty of $150 will be added to the final bill.
All vendors providing services in our facility are required by the Isle of Palms to possess a business license in order to conduct business on the island. Vendors should also possess proper insurance coverage in order to provide services at our facility. All vendors associated with a function should be asked to contact the Isle of Palms at (843)886-9912, or by visiting www.iop.net .
All caterers are allowed to use the kitchen area, is not fully equipped. It contains a large ice maker, a freezer, a refrigerator, a small microwave, 2 deep sinks, and counter space for food preparation needs. The kitchen does not have a stove, oven, or automatic dishwasher.
All caterers are required to clean up behind themselves. We require that the kitchen be swept and mopped at the end of each event by the catering staff, and we will provide equipment to do so. We also require that the Ballroom be cleared of any debris on the floor. We will sweep and mop to prepare for the next event, but we expect all napkins, straws and food waste to be cleared off the floor by the renter or by the company that brought it into the Beach House. We provide large garbage bins and can liners for waste, and we expect catering staff to take all waste to the garbage dumpster we have in our parking lot.
Our contract provides for the possibility of penalties to be added to the renter's final invoice if excessive cleaning is required after an event. We expect the building to be left in the condition it was found.
OPERATING SCHEDULE:
Operating Hours:
Monday, Tuesday Closed
Wednesday - Sunday 11:00am - 11:00pm
POLICIES
No lifeguards are provided; everyone using the beach house swims at his/her own risk. Swimmers are encouraged to use the "buddy system" to ensure maximum safety. Activities requiring qualified lifeguards, will provide their own.
There are a limited number of lockers in the dressing rooms. In order to protect valuables, it is recommended that this service be used. No responsibility is assumed for the loss of any valuables or articles whether under lock and key or not.
Pets are NOT permitted in The Citadel McCormick Beach House or on the property. Pets are not allowed on the paved beach access path but may use the non-paved access to the beach on the opposite side of the grounds. Dogs are allowed on the beach, but must be leashed per Isle of Palms regulation.
Persons in wet bathing suits will not be allowed in The Citadel McCormick Beach House, in order to protect the floors.
All vehicles must be removed from the beach house property, daily, prior to closing time. No overnight parking or camping is allowed. Vehicles left overnight without specific approval of the office of Alumni Affairs or the Beach House caretaker will be subject to towing at owner's expense.
Glass containers are not allowed on the beach house patio or grounds for safety reasons. Glassware may be used for functions held inside the main Beach House, but we prefer canned beer and plastic cups be used for wine and cocktails. A penalty of $100 will be added to a renter's invoice for each instance of broken glass cleanup.
Friends of The Citadel and The Citadel Family:
Friends of The Citadel and members of The Citadel Family (i.e., certain Alumni, members of The Citadel Alumni Association, Donors, benefactors, and their family members) are authorized to use the beach house facilities during normal operating hours for their personal use. Members of this group are generally defined as those who have contributed a combined total of at least $200 during the past calendar year to The Citadel Development Foundation, The Citadel Trust, Incorporated, The Citadel Brigadier Foundation and/or The Citadel Alumni Association. These organizations will ensure that a donor ID card is issued, authorizing use of the Beach House, and shall coordinate with the other organizations as may be required in order to determine combined levels of giving. Such donor ID cards will be valid for only one calendar year and shall clearly state the year on the face of the card. Groups qualifying under this paragraph may arrange to sponsor private parties through the Facilities Manager in the Department of Alumni Affairs, based on the published fee schedule. Retired Citadel personnel are authorized to use the Beach House but must have a Citadel Retiree ID Card in their possession.
THE CITADEL MCCORMICK BEACH HOUSE STANDARD POLICIES REGARDING BEER/ALCOHOL
These policies are intended to support the Federal and State regulations concerning the possession and use of alcoholic beverages and also enhance the enjoyment of individuals and groups using the beach house and adjacent Citadel facilities.
Glass containers are prohibited outside of the main beach house.
Cadets and other students may not bring their own beer or other alcoholic beverages to The Citadel Beach House. Legal drinking age requirements still apply, and will be enforced.
No open kegs of beer will be permitted at cadet functions unless specifically authorized by the Office of Alumni Affairs.
Any person consuming alcoholic beverages at the Beach House may be ask for identification and proof of legal drinking age at the discretion of The Citadel beach house caretaker or activities advisors.
Off-duty uniformed policemen should be present in the ratio of one officer per one hundred guests for functions where alcohol is served. The Isle of Palms Police Department can help you with arranging security officers, (843)886-6060
Should you have questions regarding the Beach House or if you would like to reserve the facility for an event, please contact the Facility Manager at (843)953-BOOK, or by email.