At our HS, for a college visit to be excused (and it would be, for a sophomore, I think) you need to show the attendance secretary evidence of a scheduled tour/visit for the college. You can't just wander around a campus when you're traveling in a town with a college (which we do regularly) and then ask for the absence to be excused after the fact.

I am sorry about your father. "Family [medical] emergency" sounds like the best excuse for your student's absence.

I'm sorry to hear about your father. I would email the principal and copy the attendance secretary. The attendance secretary might not have authority to excuse anything beyond typical sick days/doctor appointments. The principal can tell the attendance secretary to excuse the absence officially.

Agree to either say your child is sick or say that a grandparent was dying. I'd probably go with sick honestly -- you know that is excused.