Congratulations, you free-spirited super fan. You snagged tickets to the Georgia Dome and decided to jet down to Atlanta to root for the Orange in the NCAA Final Four. But wait, suddenly weeks of travel planning need to be jammed into the next couple days. Fear not, bold one, that's why we're here.

A spontaneous trip to Atlanta takes time and money. First, pick your poison: plane, bus or road trip? Amtrak trains appear to be sold out as of this afternoon, so those are your three options outside of biking, walking or teleportation.

By Car

It's a little more than 14 hours to drive from Syracuse to Atlanta by car. Drive with at least one other adult and share time behind the wheel. Make sure it's someone you love and trust, because getting through Pennsylvania's Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is hairy enough (and a true test of marital and relationship patience). Those highways are in a perpetual state of construction.

View Larger Map

If we factor in a few more miles for getting lost or taking an exit for food or gas, we can estimate the distance from Syracuse to Atlanta to be a cool 1,000 miles. Gas in Syracuse hovers at an average price $3.79 a gallon. Based on your car's make and model, you can calculate your fuel cost here.

By Plane

A flight from Syracuse to Atlanta takes between four and six hours. Hotel-travel packages exist through SU Athletics, but if you want to plan the trip on your own, we checked Expedia, Watchdog and Orbitz for the best deals on flights and hotels.

Expedia offers decent rates on package deals. A package includes car rentals, hotels and airfare, which can be a better deal than booking a flight and figuring out the hotel/ground transportation later. You're on a time crunch after all.

Watchdog compares prices across Hotwire, Travelocity and AirTkt on two adult round trip tickets. Flights start at $847.

Orbitz experts recommend looking outside of metropolitan Atlanta to find hotels for under $100. Fans can take 15 percent off booking hotels with the promo code MarchBBall15 on Orbitz.com. Orbitz also has specific March Madness deals available.

The Syracuse Orange basketball team celebrate after beating Marquette in the NCAA Eastern Regional final. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor for Orbitz.com, said of all four cities sending teams to the Final Four, Syracuse fans have the most expensive flights. Still, she recommends flying to Atlanta instead of taking a train, bus or car.

"I think it's worth the extra money to save time, especially because a lot of bus lines have multiple stops."

Hotels are filling up fast in downtown Atlanta and the hotels closest to the Georgia Dome average $300 a night. Tornatore recommends booking hotels in the cities of Marietta, Smyrna and Galleria which are about 15 miles away from downtown and average $130 a night. Hotels closest to Atlanta's airport average $110 a night.

Because many downtown hotels now require at least two or three nights to stay, Tornatore recommends checking ahead to make sure you don't get roped into a longer trip than you intended.

Flying from Binghamton, Ithaca and Albany can lower the cost of travel. If your work schedule is flexible, consider taking off on Thursday night and Tuesday morning for a cheaper flight and to avoid the crush of travelers on April 5. Early morning or late night flights are also less expensive.

By Train

As of 1 p.m., Amtrak had one train with one available coach seat leaving the Syracuse station on Friday, April 5. By 3 p.m. it was sold out. Round trip tickets for two adults appear to be sold out as well. Sorry, no midnight trains to Georgia for you, unless you left yesterday.

By Bus

If you take a Greyhound bus from Syracuse to Atlanta, bear in mind it's a 27 to 28-hour long trip and you'll probably have to leave at 1 a.m. or 3 a.m. Bright side: it's $372.40 for a round trip. Sit tight.

Transportation in Atlanta

Tornatore estimates rental cars in Atlanta cost $42 a day, though she says parking downtown will definitely be a challenge (see driving tips below). Once you're downtown, Tornatore says the best way to get around is with MARTA, Atlanta's public transportation system. MARTA can bring you from the airport to midtown Atlanta for $2-3. (Update: reader Joey Dambroso emailed me to mention there's a MARTA stop right by the Georgia Dome too. Score!)

____________________________________________________________________

I got to Atlanta in one piece. Now what?

First off, stop by the Syracuse University Alumni Club of Atlanta (SUACOA). They're welcoming Orange fans who couldn't get game tickets to watch at the Hudson Grille in Sandy Springs, Ga.

Hudson Grille, Atlanta.

When you're not watching the games, consider checking out the

Georgia Aquarium

, which was the world's largest aquarium when it opened in 2005.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is an option for nature lovers and history buffs will love the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, which includes his birth home.

To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of March Madness, the Division II and III Men's Basketball Championships will be played in the same city as Division I for the first time in tournament history. The games will take place in the Philips Arena and are FREE and open to the public. To top it all off, there's plenty of live music playing in Atlanta this weekend, including Sting, Macklemore and Dave Matthews.

But merely driving around town and interacting with the good people of Georgia requires finesse and forethought. Luckily, Syracuse-to-Atlanta expert Donna Adamo offers killer tips as a recent transplant. Adamo was an anchor-reporter for CBS-WTVH in Syracuse from 1997 to 2009. She moved to Atlanta last May.

"I do think it's a bit overwhelming in Atlanta without a little guidance," said Adamo in an email.

Georgia isn't a whole other country, but there is definitely a different culture to embrace. Welcome it with open arms or risk being That Rude Yankee in Atlanta. And by the way, hardly anyone actually calls the city Atlanta.

Advice from Adamo:

Welcome to A-Town

Citizens of Atlanta refer to Atlanta as:

"The A"

"The A-T-L"

or "A-Town"

V is for Valet

Virtually everywhere in Atlanta has valet parking. Space is limited and tight, and you'll do yourself a huge favor by just giving in to the valet. At restaurants it's usually just a tip, about $3-5. Downtown you'll have to pay for parking — about $9-18.

Southern living at its finest: Slowww dowwwn

In New York, customer service is chop-chop fast. Everyone is fast. Life is fast. It's different in Atlanta. You're on "South time," not "North time." Customer service will get to you as soon as they can, meaning after they help the person in front of you, genuinely ask them how their day is, ask them how their life is, answer the phone, take a sip of water, answer the phone again, find a pen, smile and then finally get to you. They'll smile the entire time, so smile back. Restaurants do things the same way.

Ma'am and Sir

In New York, we call people by their first name. Generally, not in Atlanta. Everyone is either Ma'am, a Sir, or Miss Maria, Mr. Andrew, Miss Sally, etc.



Traffic

Traffic sludge is a part of life in Atlanta. To figure out how much time you'll really need, double or triple your mileage to gauge your true time. If your hotel is 10 minutes from the Georgia Dome, give yourself 20-30 minutes in traffic. At least. And remember, this is the South. People are friendly. Drivers don't honk horns in the South. They 'tap' them, like a gentle nudge to get out of their way. They also let you in...when you realize you need to be four lanes over.



High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes

The HOV lanes are in the far left lane of the 5, 6 or 7 lane highway on 285 and 75. You can use the HOV lanes if you have two or more people in your car. Some speed limits are 55 and others are 70, so pay attention. Game ticket prices are steep enough. Beware also of bikers, runners and pedestrians — they're everywhere, especially downtown. Many bicyclists are in the road in THEIR bike lanes. Cars aren't allowed in bike lanes, so pay attention.

Good luck, God speed and enjoy the weather down there, you lucky dogs. Weather.com predicts 71 degrees for both Saturday and Sunday.

Sistina Giordano and Donna Adamo contributed to this report.