A milkshake from Cecil’s Place will take you from 100-degree summer heat to being cooler than a Chicago blizzard.

County residents agree that you won’t do much better than Cecil’s Place when it comes to milkshakes. Their milkshakes are the thickest, creamiest and most flavorful in the area.

“We still do it the old-school way with the metal mixers,” owner Tyler Marbut said.

Another key to the quality of the milkshake is the quality of the ice cream, which at Cecil’s Place includes a variety of flavors of hand-dipped ice cream.

“You don’t cut the corners on your signature products,” he said. “I’m all for getting a good deal on paper towels.”

Marbut was born and raised in Jacksonville. His dad, Cecil, first opened the restaurant in 1980. Tyler started working there in 1986, and took over as owner three years ago when his dad retired. Times have changed since Tyler’s father first opened the restaurant.

“When he opened this place, the only thing in this town was McDonald’s, us and Hardees,” he said. “He had the market cornered. It was a gold mine.”

While operating costs have risen and dozens of other fast-food chains offering milkshakes on their menus have cropped up throughout the area, such places aren’t locally owned. Also, those places don’t have flavorful milkshakes made with hand-dipped ice cream, such as the peanut butter milkshake that’s loaded with generous portions of peanut butter.

Tyler estimates the most popular milkshake is the hand-dipped cookies and cream, but there are plenty of other flavors, just some of which include cookie dough, rocky road, black walnut, as well as cherry, grape, banana and pineapple for those with a penchant for fruity flavors.

Best milkshake

Cecil’s, Jacksonville