During a recent visit to Gulf Shores, Alabama, I kept hearing about The Yard. “You’ve never seen anything like these milkshakes,” people told me, “even if you’re from New York!” Tales of ice cream shakes piled high with brownies, candy, donuts, cookie dough, cupcakes and cheesecake abounded and it wasn’t long before I made my way to the Pelican Place Shopping Center to see what all the excitement was about.

Driving into this sleepy and otherwise quiet shopping center, it’s easy to spot The Yard milkshake bar because of the huge crowd outside the store. Parking spots abound elsewhere, but, in the store’s vicinity, every single one was taken. We parked and headed over to secure a spot at one of the outdoor picnic tables — which wasn’t easy due to the large groups outside enjoying their shakes or eagerly anticipating their orders. Teenage girls, family groups with young children, grandparents with their grand-kids and couples on dates were all well represented. As we got our bearings and decided how to proceed, we witnessed several of The Yard’s milkshake bar creations being delivered to patrons outside and each one was greeted with gasps and amazement.

It’s not often that you see something that is truly new.

The Yard churns out unique milkshakes that bring out the fun in customers.

How did this phenomenon come about? According to the fresh-faced young owner Chelsea Green (she’s only 27 and an entrepreneur to watch!), she and her staff started experimenting with creating new kinds of milkshakes at Island Ice Cream, her other nearby business. As they came up with new combinations and started layering ingredients in a way that hadn’t been seen before, customers responded. Others who saw these newfangled shakes wanted them, too, and a new business idea was hatched. Chelsea liked the idea of not only offering set combos, but allowing her customers to come up with their own milkshakes tailored exactly to their tastes.

Here’s how it works. There are set shakes like The Sea Turtle, which I ordered, a sublime milkshake of praline pecan and butter pecan ice cream, festooned with three chocolate pecan turtles, crushed waffle cone and whipped cream drizzled with caramel and fudge — all in a chocolate icing dipped jar. The also menu has a checklist that allows you to customize your very own shake, choosing from 28 flavors of ice cream, 40 different toppings and eight flavors of cookie dough.

And while the more expected ingredients like chocolate syrup, marshmallow cream and caramel sauce are on the list, the innovative ones are what makes this place unlike any other. They include cheesecake, rock candy, brownies, cotton candy, sour straws, a big chocolate dipped s’more, birthday cupcake, glazed donut and, for the health conscious, banana. Ingredients are artfully layered and the larger additions are perfectly propped atop the milkshake, which is served in a pretty glass jar with the store’s logo. The jar is yours to keep and the shakes come in either pint or quart sizes.

A good idea doesn’t take long to get noticed.

Chelsea and Logan Green opened the store on May 19, 2017 and, within days, they’d run out of ice cream and other essentials, causing them to close for a few days just as they were getting going. Not only did they have to stock up, they hired 30 new employees, realizing the amazing demand for their shakes. Since they reopened, they’ve been sailing along making locals and tourists happy day after day with their never-before-seen creations. In one banner day, they sold 800 shakes.

As my group of friends was leaving, we told Chelsea how much we enjoyed ourselves and asked her where she got the name for the shop. “It’s from a song,” she said. Some of us knew the reference and others (myself included) did not. It’s called “Milkshake” and if you check out the lyrics, you’ll quickly see the connection. — Leslie Long, RFT Contributor

The Yard, 3800 Gulf Shores Pkwy, #330, Gulf Shores, AL 36542

For more about Gulf Shores: gulfshores.com

The Yard in Gulf Shores, Alabama, creates milkshakes that are one of a kind creations.Enjoy another article by Leslie Long about another treat. 

Interested in other articles about the Gulf Shores? Check out our experience of the Big Beach Brewing Company.