Ask any sensible person if they want to go on a hot dog tour of Maine and their answer would surely be: “With relish.”

Maine may be world-famous for lobster rolls, but hot dogs are another bun-filling food that Mainers are sort of crazy about. Maine is the place where red snappers — hot dogs dyed red — are so coveted that they have their own festival. This year’s Maine Red Hot Dog Festival will be held Aug. 8 in Dexter.

Hot dogs are also a summertime treat, and Maine summers are short and precious. So it’s a good time to start planning your Maine hot dog tour now. Here are some suggestions, including old-school hot dog stands and newer places that offer creative takes and international flavor combinations.

ARCADIA

504 Congress St., Portland; arcadiaportland.com

This bar and arcade in downtown Portland is filled with games of all kinds, and a hot dog menu nearly as extensive. The Tokyo Drift features spicy cucumber, sesame pickled carrots, avocado, house kewpie mayo and furikake seasoning. The Chicago Dog has mustard, Chicago relish, onion, tomato, pickle, sport peppers and celery seed on a poppy seed bun. There are also monthly special dogs, including a recent one with spinach artichoke dip on a pretzel bun. The hot dogs come from Niman Ranch, which sells sustainably raised meat.

BOLLEY’S FAMOUS FRANKS

38 Water St., Hallowell; bolleysfamousfranks.com

Bolley’s has been in business since 1958. Their signature dish is a natural casing hot dog fried in peanut oil, on a steamed bun with sautéed onions. The Double Dog Basket special features two dogs, fresh cut fries and coleslaw for about $12. The eat-in or takeout restaurant also offers haddock, onion rings, chicken and burgers.

CORMIER’S DOG HOUSE

765 Roosevelt Trail, Windham; cormiersdoghouseme.com

Chicago-style hot dogs are the specialty here, and they actually come from Vienna Beef in the Windy City. The poppyseed buns, served steamed, are from Chicago, too. The most popular dogs include the Chicago Dog, with tomato, mustard, relish, onion, sport peppers, pickle and celery salt; a chili dog with shredded cheddar and onion; and one with peanut butter, strawberry jelly and crushed peanuts. There’s also a Reuben dog, a French onion dog and a Maine red snapper, among others.

DUNTON’S DOGHOUSE

40 Sea St., Boothbay Harbor; facebook.com/duntonsdoghouse

This cozy little stand is just on the fringe of downtown, but a short walk from the water. Big sellers include the Riley Dog with cheese and bacon and a hot dog, with coleslaw on it. The place uses Old Neighborhood natural casing beef and pork dogs, as well as red hot dogs from Bangor-based W.A. Bean & Sons, the only Maine company that still makes them here. The buns here are buttered and grilled on the griddle, in the classic New England style.

EL CORAZON AND CASITA CORAZON

190 State St., Portland; Casita Corazon, 158 Benjamin W. Pickett St., South Portland; elcorazonportland.com

This Mexican restaurant with two locations features a Sonoran hot dog, created in the Mexican state of Sonora after World War II. It’s a quarter-pound, bacon-wrapped hot dog on a toasted sub roll, with Chihuahua cheese, refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, mustard and mayonnaise. It’s a meal in itself.

FLO’S HOT DOGS

1359 Route 1, York; floshotdogs.com.

Housed in a humble red shack by the side of Route 1, Flo’s is one of the state’s food landmarks. Florence Stacy started running the hot dog stand in 1959 and 14 years later sold it to her son and daugher-in-law, John and Gail Stacy. They still run it today with their daughter. The dogs are boiled and served on steamed buns. About 90 percent of the people lined up at the takeout window get a Flo’s Dog, with mayonnaise, Flo’s Relish and celery salt. Flo’s Relish is so popular it’s sold in stores and online, including by Gray-based Pemberton’s Gourmet Foods. The recipe is a secret. Flo’s is open Thursday through Sunday.

GUNNAR’S ICELANDIC HOT DOGS

gunnarshotdogs.com

The name of this Southern Maine food cart begs a couple questions right off: What is an Icelandic hot dog and why is it here? An Icelandic hot dog is a long, thin dog made of lamb, beef and pork. It’s served with toppings like crispy fried onion bits, a creamy remoulade and sweet mustard. It’s here because Peter Grebowski tasted the dogs on a trip to Iceland, then came back to Maine and opened a food cart to sell them. His cart can be found at Portland breweries and bars like Après and Belleflower, at Portland Hearts of Pine soccer games and at the Brunswick Farmers Market, among other places. See the monthly calendar on the Gunnar’s website or live updates on Instagram.

HAPPY TRAILS

12 Whitney Road, Lincolnville; campdeforest.com/camp-chow#truck

This casual cabin eatery is at Camp DeForest, a classic motel with cottages that’s been renovated into a resort hotel with a Maine camp theme. The focus is on gourmet hot dogs, including one with elk, one with turkey and one with Kobe beef. There’s also a classic dog, beer bratwurst, kielbasa and house-made pickles.

HARBOR DOGS

1 Public Landing, Camden; facebook.com/HarborDogs

This is a seasonal stand in a parking lot on the edge of Camden Harbor, steps from downtown, that’s been in business for more than 60 years. There are eight specialty dogs, including the Chilean Completo, with avocado, tomato and mayo; the Harbor Dog with warm savory apple chutney; and the Kansas City Dog with bacon, cheese, crispy fried onion and BBQ sauce. They use Jordan’s red snappers and New England-style frankfurter buns, toasted.

LEE FRANK’S

12 Portland St., South Berwick; leefranks.com

The casual burger joint was opened a few years ago by Frank, who had been chef-owner of Otis Restaurant in Exeter, New Hampshire, known for its tasting menu. But the South Berwick place is focused on burgers, dogs and fries. There’s a chili cheese dog, a New Yorker dog with sauerkraut and brown mustard and a Red Baron, featuring red cabbage and brown mustard. The New Englander has yellow mustard, relish and onions.

QUIERO CAFE

3 Deering Ave., Portland; 10 Pepperell Square, Saco; quierocafe.online

Besides the empanadas and tamales and other Latin American fare, this place offers a Colombiano hot dog. It’s got melted mozzarella, sweet pineapple salsa, raw onion, queso fresco, ketchup, pink sauce, potato chip crumbs and hard-boiled quail eggs.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

41 Wharf St., Portland; on Instagram.

This Old Port bar features a “Snappy Hour” from 5-7 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. The deal is that all red snapper hot dogs are half price and martinis are $10. There’s a classic red snapper with Morse’s pickles, a kraut dog with Morse’s sauerkraut and house mustard sauce, and a cheese dog with chili crisp and fried onions.

SIMONES’ HOT DOG STAND

99 Chestnut St., Lewiston; on Facebook.

The red snappers on steamed buns at this venerable downtown landmark are sometimes called Lewiston Lobsters. The business was started around 1908 by James Simones, a Greek immigrant, and has been run by his family ever since. The place has attracted governors, U.S. senators, presidential candidates and members of Congress over the years. The overflowing chili dogs are served with a knife and fork, sometimes confusing folks from away. Its interior, with a diner counter and rotating stools, lets you have a side order of nostalgia with your hot dogs. It’s only open weekdays.

THE THIRSTY PIG

37 Exchange St., Portland; thirstypigportland.com

This eatery in the Old Port lets you create your own hot dog experience. You start by choosing your protein, including a 6-inch dog or a 9-inch red snapper. You then choose your style. A few of the more inventive ones include BBQ Bahn Mi, with pickled carrot, bread and butter pickle, Thai aioli and BBQ sauce; Spicy McFirepants, with hot relish, banana pepper, pickled jalapeno and fiery mustard; and the Nor’Eastah, with baked beans and Dank dip.

WASSES HOT DOGS

2 North Main St., Rockland, 1A Belmont Ave., Belfast, 179 New County Road, Thomaston

This family hot dog stand began more than 50 years ago and is a Midcoast institution. In Rockland, which has become an arts center of the state, Wasses is as well known as any museum or gallery. The hot dogs are grilled on a griddle in peanut oil, along with onions. The Wasses Original comes with grilled onions, yellow mustard and relish.